The Witch who Wasn't
by Kuneko
Summary: Rune Factory's story, through the eyes of Melody, The witch in name only, lacking any ability to do anything real witches can. Now throw in a mysterious, amnesiac boy who ends up living with her when Mist burns down the farmhouse. Is Kardia ready for them, or should they be ready for Kardia? Ch 8 is up! The first dungeon awaits. Raguna's gonna need trusty traveling cohorts!
1. CH1 Kardia's Resident Witch

**// Author's Note: **Wow, I'm starting _another _new story? Well, let's just say that Rune Factory is an amazing game and did a very good job of distracting me from, well ... everything. The characters have so much personality and there's just so much that can be written about! Ideas for fanfics were practically blooming all around me as I played. In my game, I'm currently trying to woo Melody and Rosetta, since I can't decide which of the two I'm going to marry, haha. Though, this fanfic, as you can guess from the title and summary, is going to be all about Melody. It's a _kind _of novelization of the series, but not entirely. It will have quite a few twists in it. I hope you all enjoy it!

To those of you who also read my other fanfic, Harvest High!: Don't worry, I know I haven't updated in _forever, _but I'm still working on the new chapter and a million things have gotten in the way, but It will be continued and (someday) finished. Also, this fanfic is not going to be as long as HH!, nor updated as frequently.

In fact, I don't want to make any promises, since my last two attempts at multichapters (So Close to You and Moonthorn) both failed after the first chapter. So don't _expect_ this story to continue, but it probably will. Does that make any sense? Probably not. I'm not good at doing that. Let me just put it this way - If I decide to continue, then I will, and if I don't, then I won't. Yay!

Usual disclaimer, I do not own Harvest Moon/Rune Factory, they belong to Natsume/Marvelous Interactive/NeverLand/whoever else wants to take credit for this game.

P.S., I always seemed to think of Rosetta as a kind of Karen-ish character, since they both have very similar traits (such as speaking their mind often, being tough on their fathers, and heck, in the japanese version of RF, Rosetta's father's name _is_ Jeff!). However, as you will soon see, Rosetta doesn't have _half_ the alcohol tolerance Karen does! Hehe. **End Author's Note // **

**THE WHICH WHO WASN'T**

- CHAPTER 1: Kardia's Resident Witch -

The cobbled streets of Kardia Village were illuminated weakly by the orange glow of the setting sun. It had been New Years day, the first of the Spring season, and there had been celebrating. There was still tiny, colorrful pieces of confetti and the remainders of food littered around the paths that wove through the small, peaceful village. The streets however, were rather devoid of people, save for a certain girl with the attire of a witch, including a pointed maroon hat settled atop her pink hair. The girl stormed through the town, turning right at the first intersection and turning the corner, bursting into the door of the first building on that street.

Greeting her senses were a dimly lit bar filled with people, the smell of cooking and alcohol, and the distinct noise of a party going on.

"Oi, it's Melody!" called a voice. "Glad you could finally join the party, girl!" It was Kardia's local bartender, Emmett, standing behind the counter of the wooden bar and serving drinks to the other villagers. "What took you so long?"

"What do you _mean_?!" she snapped at him. "I was waiting for everyone to come down to my bath-house for my New Years special! It's a Kardian tradition!" There were few things that Melody loved more than a nice, hot bath. One of those things was a nice, hot bath shared with all the villagers and her friends. It was the best feeling in the world, to sit in boiling water, relaxing and being surrounded by friends.

"Oh, right..." mumbled a man sitting at the bar. He had long blonde hair framing his aged face and piercing blue eyes, and a small, matching beard. "We decided to have the party at the bar, this time, Melody." said the Mayor of Kardia, Godwin.

"And no one bothered to inform me?" she asked grumpily, staring accusingly at the mayor, and crossing her arms for good measure.

"It may've slipped my mind..." he muttered, lifting his drink to his lips and taking a long gulp. Feeling annoyed, Melody dragged herself towards the bar and slumped into a seat, demanding a drink from Emmett as compensation for stealing all her customers.

"Cheer up, Mel!" The girl next to her said rather loudly. "It's a party!" She exclaimed, giving her a hearty slap on the back, which made some of Melody's drink spill onto the wooden bartop.

"Rosetta," Melody addressed the blonde haired girl, who's red eyes were slightly unfocused. "Are you even allowed to drink? What would Jean think?" She asked her, referring to her father.

"Hey, it's New Years! _Besiiiides,_" she leaned in real close and whispered into her ear, as if it was a grave secret. "I'ma be _eighteen _this year. That's a big number, you know? That's the magical number that means I'ma be able to eat! I mean... drink! Like, beer 'n stuff." The already-drunk girl informed her friend.

Melody, who always preferred a nice, hot cup of Relaxation Tea over a frosty beer smiled absently and patted her friend's back, not sure what to say to that. "Um...Congratulations?"

"Damn right, congradjerlations!" Rosetta proceeded to twirl off to another girl with long brown hair, who looked rather exasperated.

The girls of Kardia village were all incredibly unique - From Bianca, the spoiled yet delicate daughter of a famous gastronomist, to Sharron, the mysterious, almost creepy young woman who seemed to have a fetish for ruins, they were all unique in their personalities. Melody, however, felt like the cursed victim of a nasty amount of bad luck. Since she had been a kid and the fabled power known as 'magic' had been discovered and transcribed into spellbooks, she had a set ambition of becoming a witch. She had quite literally obsessed over becoming a witch, had read any books that had to do with magic or witchcraft, and even dressed like one!

At the time, however, she had no chance to be a witch. As magic had only recently been available in the form of a book, most Libraries had them hidden in restricted areas to avoid them falling into the wrong hands - it was the law of the Kingdom of Norad, where Kardia village resided, at the time. To make mattes worse, her parents refused to let her study witchcraft. They were still convinced it was the source of all evil in the world and forbid her from becoming a witch. Being the mischievous child that she was, however, it did not stop her from studying every book she could get her hands on from the Kardia Library.

It did not get easier, however. Melody's mother had succumbed to a deadly illness, and her father, along with Godwin and Leo, a gruff old blacksmith, had decided to scale Mt. Gigant in an attempt to find a medicinal herb that would cure her. The town's doctor, Edward, could not help her without the herb. According to Godwin, her father perished trying to save her mother, and that was the tragic end to the story of her parents. Godwin nor Leo had ever given her the details of that fated trip up Mt. Gigant, but since then she thought she may as well give up magic.

The death of her parents had affected her greatly. She decided to turn her interests to managing the bath-house her parents had left her. Having long baths with friends gave her the familiar feeling of family that she had been lacking for the majority of her life. It was her favorite thing in the world. She spent her Fridays with Sharron at the ruins, feeling a certain comraderie with the mysterious girl, since she was another individual who had lost her parents at a young age (not that she'd ever share the details).

Whenever she was free from the bath-house (which was often, since she managed her own hours and loved to open late), she'd spend her time on her newfound hobby - brewing and mixing potions and medicines. The feeling she had when she completed a potion brimming with magical properties made her feel like a real witch. It was, perhaps, the death of her mother which drove her to study potion and medicine making. She had become an expert on herbs, and even Edward came to her for help when he needed a new supply.

Then, several years later, Melody found herself in Kardia Library again, on a rainy day, where she was faced with a strong temptation in the form of one of her best friends, Tori, the blonde, bespectacled bookworm. Tori had a tendency to tumble over her words, and even moreso when she was excited. She was holding up an official-looking paper that seemed to state that the ban on most magic books was being lifted, and as long as they were kept in check, regular people would be able to try out the amazing power.

But that was not the case for Melody. Bad luck seemed to have a way of finding her, or it might have been the other way around. Everyone who could afford it had tried out the magic - some liked it and continued to practice it, others cast it aside. Soon everyone in Kardia had at least _tried _magic and had been able to use it. Ironically, the girl who had been come to known as the resident Witch wanna-be of Kardia, showed no signs at all of any magical talent.

Tori handed her a book inscribed with the Teleport spell, one of the most basic spells that would send the caster to wherever they felt was their home. She would close her eyes, let her mind dive into her soul, and focus as hard as she could, feeling excitement at the tip of her fingers, and after a weak glow of light, nothing would happen. Tori would then hand her a Fireball spell, and she once again dove into her spiritual power and felt her hands become lukewarm before the magic faded once again.

It was just terrible luck. Everyone and their dogs could use magic, but Melody, the girl who had aspired to be a witch since she had learnt the word, could not cast the simplest of spells. Discouraged though she was, Melody had no choice but to settle back into her normal life and ignore the magic all around her. Tori insisted on helping her and tried to keep her from giving up, but a month's worth of Magic practice was enough to convince Melody that her dream of becoming a witch just was not going to happen. It was hard, however, for she would pass by the deserted farmland and see Mist, the supposed farmer (who really didn't do _any _work whatsoever on her so-called farm), as she easily produced a ball of fire and tossed it between her hands, and felt as if a grey cloud had appeared above her head and was raining on her, and only her. If even the air-headed Mist could cast magic, why couldn't she?

Melody suddenly looked around the bar. Where _was _the farmer anyway? Knowing her, she had probably forgotten all about New Years and decided to milk an invisible Buffamo or something, so Melody was not entirely surprised by her absence. She was surprised, however, when the doors of the bar flew open and a young boy ran in, yelling.

"Fire!! There's a _fire!!"_ yelled Zavier in his high-pitched voice. He was the daughter of the single mother, Lady Ann, who ran the Inn, and the brother of Tori. His dirty-blonde hair was almost never seen since he insisted on wearing a helmet and goggles on his head at all times, and it was no secret that he loved a good adventure.

"In Clemens cave? 'Cause you know, there's _lava _in there, stupid." Rosetta guffawed, dropping beer on the floor and thinking she had just made the funniest joke in the world.

"No! I was walking by Mist's farm and her house was in flames!" he yelled.

"Walking by Mist's house, eh? What were you doin' at this time on New Years?" laughed Emmett, who was drunk as well.

"He was _not _walking by, Emmett, he was probably hiding in the bushes watching her like he always does." Lady Ann rolled her eyes, swinging back her long red hair. It was amazing how this was the only thing they could focus on when their village was potentially in danger of becoming a human barbecue. The beer probably had something do with that.

"You know why? 'Cause he's got a _cruuush _on her! Heehee! Zavier and Mist, sittin' in a tree..." Rosetta giggled and twirled around some more.

"Actually," Zavier said bitterly, "She had some other _guy_ with her."

"Ooh, another _guy?_"

Suddenly the bar was full of mutters and giggles at this piece of news. Finally, Godwin, being the good, respectable mayor of the village, cleared his throat. "Burning house? We should go check that out. Mist has enough weeds on her farm for it to spread, too..."

The Mayor had spoken, and everyone had gotten out of their seats and headed over to Mist's. The sky was now nearing total darkness, but the dancing flames which were disturbingly visible seemed to illuminate the village for them. When they arrived, Mist was doing an odd, frantic dance in front of the flaming house instead of actually doing anything about it.

Tori, and the other librarian, Russell, were the first to act. They were the two most potent at magic in Kardia, so holding their hands up in synchronization, the duo closed their eyes and summoned forth a spell known as 'Water Laser', and in an instant, beams of high-pressure water were shooting from their palms, dousing the flames. The other villagers who had a basic grasp of magic tried to help out, and Melody felt utterly useless and more than a little jealous.

"Mist, what the heck happened?" Lady Ann asked, taking the girl to the side and putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. "You don't even _use _this farmhouse anymore."

"Eee!" the girl squealed, her eyes enlarged and shining with tears. "The new guy came, and like, passed out, and I didn't know what to dooo, and he wanted water, and food, so I gave him some, but he didn't have any memory of who he was, and so I wanted to be a nice ol' person and give him a home, but there was an _icky _bug under the furniture so I decided to blast it with a fireball and --"

Lady Ann put up a hand to silence the girl's frantic rant. "I... I think we get the idea."

Some villagers stared at her with raised eyebrows. Some, like Melody, giggled at the sillyness of the whole situation, and Rosetta just looked around dizzily, probably not entirely aware of what was going on right now.

"So what about this, ah... 'new guy', Mist?" Godwin asked in his calm, deep voice.

"He's, uh..." she pointed nervously to the crumbling house. Everyone stared.

"He's _INSIDE?!" _exclaimed Lady Ann. "For crying out loud, Mist, what in the name of Grimoire is he doing inside a burning house and why didn't you stop him?"

"I ... I forgot my favorite hoe in there and he volunteered to go get it." she said softly. This was met by more silence.

"How long ago was this?" demanded the shocked Innkeeper.

"... Ten minutes ago, about..." And then more silence.

Emmett burst into laughter. "She's gone and killed another one! It's the same situation with that last guy, what was it, Daniel?"

"Daniel did not _die! _He just... ran away in the middle of the night." Mist protested uncomfortably.

"Then... it was Allen, right?" Neumann asked - he was the owner of a produce store, and was more commonly known as one of the heavy drinkers of Kardia.

"Allen didn't die either! He left Kardia to go become a soldier in the Sechs Empire!" the young girl argued.

"_Probably thought he had a better chance surviving in Sechs than around Mist..."_ Lady Ann muttered to Emmett and they both laughed wildly.

"Mist, honey, why don't you try doing the farmwork yourself instead of picking up random guys and manipulating them into doing it?" Melody finally spoke up.

"... 'Cause it's boring." Mist said simply. No one would ever understand her.

The faces of the villagers became less visible as the sky darkened and the flames weakened thanks to the combined effort of Russell and Tori. They were starting to worry about how long it was taking the mysterious man that Mist had found from getting the hoe from the house. It wasn't terribly big, and the Water lasers had cooled the flames significantly. Which meant, though no one wanted to believe it, that something had to have gone wrong inside.

Mist was anxiously swaying on her toes, torn between the urge to run into the house and find the man, or try her luck at casting some magic to help quell the flames (though she did not feel entirely secure with her magic after just burning down a perfectly good house).

Finally, after a few long, painful minutes, a figure appeared in what remained of the house's doorway, carrying a large Iron hoe and limping towards them all. Amazingly, the young man, covered in soot and ash and dirt, managed to smile at the crowd.

"Wow... that's uh, quite the welcoming comittee.." he said. How he was able to joke after he had just risked his life for a _tool, _no one could understand.

"You're okay!" Mist flung herself around his neck and Russell and Tori ceased their magic spells. Everyone was relieved that the man was safe, despite not knowing who he was. Zavier eyed him bitterly and looked extremely jealous as Mist pulled him into a tight hug. Russell cast a fire spell on a piece of wood from the rubble that was once a house, and illuminated the area around them so they could all see each other. Now that Melody could get a good look at the guy, he was quite good looking. Brown hair that was a bit messy (well, one's hair wouldn't be perfect after just escaping from a burning house) and a tall, lean figure. She couldn't help but notice how ... _dirty _he was, though.

Being the manager of a bath-house, and an avid fan of bathing, she had a problem with dirty people. Cleanliness was a top priority for her, and she constantly encouraged the dirtier villagers to come bathe at her bath-house.

However, the thoughts about how dirty the newcomer was slowly formed into an idea, one that made her completely forget the bad mood she had been in all evening. Once Mist had finally let go of him, Melody grabbed the arms of her potential customer and dragged him away from her. She was grinning from under her large, maroon witch's hat, and her somewhat bubbly, vibrant personality was starting to shine through the gloomyness she had masked herself in all evening.

"_You, _my good sir, are in dire need of a bath. And I know _just _the place..."


	2. CH2 Hot Baths & Paperthin Walls

**// Author's Note: **Hey, I bet no one expected an update this soon, huh? XD. Anyway, This is an interesting chapter, leaning more into the humor aspect of this story. I should have mentioned that there _will _be comedic moments, as you've probably seen from the first chapter. Times like this make me wish let you choose _three _categories for your story to go under. So, if you haven't really picked it up yet, this fanfic is most likely going to be RagunaxMelody, with some other couples thrown in there (A bit of RagunaxMist, ZavierxMist, and _maaaybe _a tiny bit of RosettaxLukas).

I always found it odd that Melody seemed to fall for guys that took baths. So I came up with the theory that she must love guys who take baths because she gets the change to spy on them while they bathe... This theory will be quite an interesting theme in this chapter and the rest of the story. Thanks for all the kind reviews so far, and enjoy!

Also, I should probably mention a little warning or whatever that there is nudity in this chapter - only not really, I mean, there are no pictures and no detailed descriptions, so this warning applies to you only if you have a vivid imagination. XD Enjoy! **End Author's Note //**

- CHAPTER 2: Hot Baths & Paper-thin Walls -

With the nameless hoe-saviour safe, the villagers instantly relaxed and decided to go back to the bar to spend the rest of the night up, drinking, partying and most likely gossipping about the newcomer. Rosetta's blonde hair twirled in circles as she lead the crowd back to Emmett's, leaving Melody, Mist and the new boy.

"What was that about a bath...?" he asked nervously, giving Melody a small smile.

"Right, come on!" she nearly skipped back into town.

"Um..." Mist's soft voice said from behind them. "Can I come too?" she looked at Melody with shining eyes.

"Of course! The more the merrier!" Melody happily accepted. "...Just, no burning down my bath-house, okay?"

"Hooray!" Mist cheered, jumping on the nameless guy, who ended up giving her a piggy back all the way to the bath-house.

Unlocking the door and swinging it open, Melody and the others instantly felt the temperature rise as their bodies adjusted from the cold, night weather of early Spring to the boiling hot humidity of the bath-house.

"You... you live here, Melody?" asked the boy. Melody nodded proudly. "...H-How?! It's so hot in here!"

"It is, isn't it?" she replied pleasantly. "Anyway, the _boys _side is over there, Mist and I are going to go this way. We can still talk, of course, since the walls are almost as thin as paper. No horsing around in there, no eating, no falling asleep, and most importantly, no going to the bathroom." she pointed to the list of rules she had pinned up in between the two rooms.

"What if I really have to go?"

"Soil my bath and I will inflict such pain upon you that you won't have enough words to scream to express how much it hurts." she whispered violently, glaring at the boy. "But otherwise, enjoy your bath!" Her tone switched instantly to that of a happier, friendlier Melody. She disappeared behind the doorway and into the girl's side, leaving Mist and the young man alone.

"Ahaha... I was just kidding." he clarified. The girl really did like her baths. Inching over to Mist, he whispered, "She's not _serious, _is she?"

"Well.. there was this one time, Nicholas, a young boy who lives in this village... He had an accident and ... well, let's just say, he's terrified of taking baths now." Mist replied nervously. The boy looked alarmed, but Mist laughed.

"Well, hey, if your parents died and left you nothing but this bath-house, you'd probably be overprotective of it also." she grinned and left him to attend to his thoughts. He felt a sudden surge of sympathy for the bubbly bath-house manager. There was certainly more to her than he had first assumed.

Melody had already stripped off her clothes when Mist entered, and she dipped her foot into the hot water, feeling the sensation that only a nice bath could bring. Letting herself slide into the large stone bath and sink into the hot, steamy water, Melody let out a long sigh of happiness. This was what she had been looking forward too all day.

"The water is _just _perfect." she told Mist, who was in the process of stripping herself.

Throwing aside her clothes, she said, "But you say that everyday."

"Then the water must always be perfect!" Melody grinned, watching Mist's expression as she dipped into the boiling water.

She always liked the girl. She was air-headed, absent-minded, and definitely naive, but she didn't have many friends. This never seemed to bother her, however, as she would wake up and optimistically swing her door open go picking flowers or mining in the caves or going for hikes in the mountain. Almost everyone in Kardia either picked on the poor girl, or got exasperated with her within five minutes of talking to her. She was just too _weird! _But Melody rather liked the childish, optimistic, care-free air that Mist had about her.

"So, Mist," she began, once the girl was finally in the hot water. The blonde opened one of her eyes.

"Mmmyeah?"

"How'd you and... that guy, meet? I haven't seen him around, and it definitely isn't the tourist season yet."

"Oh, this is a fun story!" Mist bounced, splashing water everywhere. The prospect of sharing a story about her exciting morning had excited her. "Okay, so it all started early this morning..."

"I woke up, it was a brilliant day. Winter was finally over, I could see the grass again, the snow was melting away, the sun was shining brightly, the birds were chirping, the sky was cloudless, the breeze was perfect --"

"I get it, Mist." Melody interjected.

"Yeah! So I had gotten up and I was making myself a cup of tea, when I heard an odd-sounding 'moo' from outside. And I thought to myself, 'That's odd. I don't have any Buffamos!'. Then I started fantasizing about what I would do if I had a Buffamo. They're just so cute! Then I was distracted, 'cause I heard the odd moo-sound again, and I decided to check out what was making it. So I opened the door, but there was no surprise Buffamo wrapped in a pink ribbon like I was hoping, but instead a cute guy who looked rather beaten up and tired, lying on my lawn."

"...And he was mooing?"

"No, no, it just sounded like mooing to me." She was indeed an odd one.

"Anyway, so he looked up and I, obviously, rushed to his side, since I thought, 'Maybe if I save this guy, he'll help out on my farm!'. So he told me he had been travelling for days, was starving, and asked for some food. So, being the little helper that I am, I got him some Radish seeds and a hoe and told him to grow some food. He didn't seem too keen on the idea, for some reason." she frowned, looking deep in thought.

Melody gaped at her. "He was dying of starvation and you told him to grow his own food?!" she splashed water at the blonde. "That's hilarious -- I mean, cruel. That's really cruel!" Melody had a hard-time suppressing her giggles. It was just such a Mist-esque thing to do, and it was one of those things that really showed what kind of character Mist was.

"So, I figured," Mist continued, wiping the water out of her eyes, "That there must be something else. Then it hit me! How could he_ possibly _grow radishes without a watering can? I was such an idiot! So I grabbed one of my old watering cans and gave it to him."

The other girl was now laughing openly at her friend's story.

"Okay, so _that's _when I figured that he wanted something he could eat immediately. So I got him some bread and water, and he seemed to be okay." she said proudly. "I was so cool! I totally saved his life. So, to repay me, I _suggested _that he work on my farm for me and take care of things, and I'd give him the farmhouse."

"Didn't he have a home to go back to? Why was he here _anyway_?" Melody asked Mist, her eyebrows arched.

"He... " Mist leaned in and said in a lower voice, "... lost his memory."

Melody put her hands to her mouth. "Really?"

"Yeah! He totally doesn't know where he came from or anything. I think he was abducted by aliens and then left in Kardia with his memory erased. I mean, that's just my theory." The blonde-haired farmer stretched in the bath.

"...Yeah, I'm sure that's what happened." Melody replied absently. _Now _she was intrigued by this newcomer.

"But that isn't all! So I lead him to the fields, and I told him to use his hoe and try it out. So he raised the hoe, and suddenly there was this huge flash of blue, and the first thing I thought was 'Oh my goodness, the aliens have come back to get him!' and then I hid behind him, and this orc appeared."

"An orc? Don't they usually just stay in the caves and don't bother any humans?" Melody inquired, feeling herself being drawn into the story but not entirely believing it.

"I know! So it was really odd. He protected me though, using the hoe as a weapon, and I jumped into the watering hole out of fright."

"Ah."

"Yup, so I climbed out, and saw that the orc was defeated, and my saviour had broken the hoe in doing so, which was when I showed him the farmhouse and told him he could have the hoe inside, and ... Well, you know the rest of the story." Mist finished with a sheepish grin.

"...He's cute though." Melody said after a few moments of silence.

"He really is. I got lucky, didn't I?"

"That is quite a catch."

The boy whom they were speaking of, was in fact, listening with his ears pressed against the walls which Melody had just informed him, a good fifteen minutes ago, were as thin as paper. It seemed that she had completely forgotten that now, however, and he listened with interest as the two girls did what girls did best - talked.

"...Y'wanna take a peek?" Melody suggested mischievously, in a low voice to Mist. This made the boy's face blush.

"Melody! You pervert!"

"What?! I didn't invent the Super Peephole 2000 for nothing, you know." she said, gesturing to a small circular lid covering a hole big enough for a single eye to see through.

"That's not an invention, it's just a hole that you made in the wall."

"It works, doesn't it?" she protested, moving towards the hole in the wall. "Move over, Mist!"

Said girl had moved in front of the hole and was blushing deeply. "You can't, Melody! C'mon, you'd be invading his privacy!"

"But we always used the Super Peephole 2000 when we were younger! I'm curious... one quick peek won't hurt."

"Nooo!" Mist lunged for the hole and tried to cover it up clumsily with her hands. In a splash of water and a slam of the wall, she yelped, "OUCH!", realising that she had gotten her finger stuck in the 'Super Peephole 2000'."Ow, ow, ow!"

"Mist! That's going a bit too far, you know..." Melody tried to pull her finger out.

"Ouch! I didn't intend to get my finger stuck, you know!" she replied, trying to pull her finger out.

"Oh my goodness, we're going to have to cut your finger off."

"WHAT?!" the blonde haired girl shrieked.

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding! Okay, breathe in and out and don't move your finger. Maybe we can use some kind of lubricant to loosen it..."

"Is that going to hurt?" asked Mist, her eyes shut in pain.

"No, no! I'm going to need help..." her first thought was to ask the boy in the bath opposite them. Wait - she had just remembered that he was there. Suddenly the color in Melody's face deepened to that of her maroon witch outfit, when she realised that the boy must have heard everything that she had said up till now. _Paper-thin walls._

"Melody, concentrate!"

"Sorry, Mist! Okay... I'm going to need to ask ... that guy... for help." The pink-haired girl explained slowly, waiting to see her friend's reaction.

"_What?!_" She exclaimed. "No! I'm completely naked! Can't I just... you know, stay here?"

"You are _not _living in my bath." Melody glared at her.

"...Darn."

Melody lifted herself out of the shallow bath and took a pearl white towel from the rack, wrapping it around herself, making sure it would be decent enough to face a young man with. Walking out of the girl's area, her pink hair wet on her back, she approached the boy's section, feeling slightly excited that she'd be getting much more than a peek now.

The brunette boy quickly lunged to the other side of the bath, to avoid any suspicions that he was listening in on their conversation. Closing his eyes (but keeping his hands over his lower body, just in case), he opened them slowly as Melody knocked on the side of the doorway, blushing madly.

"Oh... Hello, Melody, was it...?" he kept his eyes from straying lower than her opal-blue eyes.

"Yes. Um... I don't know if you noticed... but there is a finger sticking out of the wall seperating the two baths."

Both their eyes traced a path to the wall, and sure enough, the tip of Mist's finger was wiggling and looking very odd, coming out of the wall.

"How did that happen...?" he asked, in a voice that he hoped would pass as genuine curiosity.

Melody sighed. "...It's a long story. Look, could you just... kind of, _gently _push the finger through the hole, and Mist will pull it?"

She heard a small 'Eep!' of protest from the blonde-haired girl on the other side.

"So... you just want me to push it?" he asked uncertainly.

"Gently!" Mist added, in a high-pitched voice that echoed over the wall.

"Could I get a towel...?" he asked Melody sheepishly. Biting her lip, the girl tossed him a towel, half-disappointed that she wouldn't get to see more of the young man, and also not entirely willing to soak one of her perfectly good towels.

"Okay, push slowly!" Melody ordered, still clutching the towel around her.

"_Ouch! _That didn't help at all!"

"Not _you, _Mist, you pull."

"Oh, right..."

After a few minutes of grunts from the boy, and squeaks of pain from Mist, they still could not seem to free her finger from the peephole. Melody was worried Mist would get way too comfortable and end up going through with her idea of living in the bath, which would lead to way too many complications than Melody cared to think about.

"Push harder! We're not getting anywhere..." she groaned, and the boy pushed with all his might, and Mist pulled with all her might, but there was nothing to be done. Her finger did not seem to want to be pulled or pushed out. So finally, the young brunette started pushing with both his hands and all his strength, and finally something happened.

Her finger was not freed, but the wall itself shook and fell over Mist's head, knocking her into the water, and the boy falling over the now collapsed wall. Mist shrieked, Melody gasped, and the boy clutched onto his towel for dear life.

"It's out!" yelled a muffled Mist from underneath the wall. Good thing it was light, or she would have died. Pushing the wall aside, she held up her purple finger victoriously, forgetting entirely that there was no longer a wall obscuring her from the young man, who stared up at the naked girl nervously, before quickly averting his eyes.

Upon seeing this, Mist stared down at herself, then the boy, then promptly fainted into the water with a splash.

"Well ... I ... uh..." the boy stuttered, flustered, unsure what to do or say in this situation.

"It's okay... I'll just... Get her into some clothes and fix this wall, shall I?" she walked over to the girl's side again and lifted the wall up, once again blocking out her view of the brunette. "You can just dry up and get changed over there, I promise I won't peek!" she lied. The boy had proved to not only be cute as a button, but ready to help out a poor girl at the drop of a hat - just today he had gone on a suicidal rescue mission to save Mist's hoe, and then again to free her finger from the evil clutches of the wall. He truly was a gentleman.

...Only, now that she thought about it, what exactly was his _name?_


	3. CH3 Living Arrangements

**// Author's Note: **And here's Chapter 3! I know it kind of seems like we're _never _going to find out Raguna's name, but everyone will find out by next chapter and I can finally stop referring to him as 'the boy' or something like that. So as of this chapter, the story is kinda set into motion. There's already been quite a bit of foreshadowing, so don't overlook anything, as it'll probably come back in future chapters!

Thanks for all the lovely reviews! They honestly make my day. Just a small note - I know Melody's house (the second floor) is _barely _any bigger than Mist's, but we're gonna say it is for the sake of this story's plot. You'll understand what I mean once you read this chapter.

As for my current game, I'm still in early fall, and still torn between Melody and Rosetta. I'm kinda falling more for Melody as I write this fic, but Rosetta's so cute also! Gah... I'm so torn!

After I complete Chapter 4, I'm going to take a break to work on Harvest High! again. But for now, enjoy Chapter 3! **End Author's Note //**

- CHAPTER 3: Living Arrangements -

"Oh come on, sober up already!" Mayor Godwin roared over the raucous tavern, in one of the rare instances where he actually raised his voice. After the incident at Mist's farm, the group had returned to the bar and continued their New Years day party. Godwin, being the Mayor and all, decided to hold a town meeting, and figured the bar was the ideal - or at least, the most convenient - place to have it since everyone was already gathered there anyway.

So now, it was late into the night. Lady Ann and Emmett were doing an odd series of dances, Rosetta had fallen asleep across two chairs, Neumann and Sabrina were both sitting dizzily and hiccupping, after a drinking contest, and Jasper, the famous gastronomist who's immense wealth was rivalled only by his immense weight, was happily going through meal after meal, taking advantage of the New Years discount.

"This is _serious. _A boy wanders into our village, collapses, and claims to have amnesia." The golden-haired man summarized.

"So?" replied a cold voice from across the table. It belonged to Mei, a soldier from a foreign land who had recently come to Kardia for reasons unknown to anyone. She was either still sober, or very good at controlling her alcohol tolerance. No one knew her exact age, but she gave off the vibe of being older, wiser, and more mature than the other girls. Being a soldier, she must have already participated in a war or two, or something similar, since she always gave off the impression that she knew all about them.

"Mei... You and I both know what this could mean." Godwin said sternly. "Actually, you're probably the only one who knows what this might mean." he added with a soft sigh, looking around at the drunken villagers. His daughter stood beside him, looking worried as the Mayor and the soldier locked eyes. She had long brown hair and an elegant manner to her.

"Father..." Felicity said softly. Her voice was not strong. In fact, she, _herself_, was not very strong.

"Godwin, I respect your decisions most of the time. But if you're going to be suspicious of _every _newcomer..." Mei said coldly, before she was interrupted.

"He's not _normal!_" Godwin's hands shook as he tried to keep his voice even. "A boy who spontaneously arrives, claiming to have lost his memory, and having remarkable strength - That's not _normal!_"

Felicity looked flustered at her father's outburst, and rushed off to get him a glass of water from behind the bar.

"...You think that _they _sent him?" The words left Mei's lips and sent a chill down the mayor's spine.

Looking uncomfortable, he replied, "You've heard the rumours. I wouldn't rule it out..."

"You don't know how they think, Godwin. They wouldn't _send _someone." The black-haired soldier paused to take a long gulp from her tankard. "They have much more _direct _ways of dealing with their enemies."

"Are you implying that _you _know more about their ways?" Godwin asked harshly, staring Mei down with the air of a fierce lion.

"If that is what you heard," she began softly, getting out of her seat. "Then I must have misspoken." And with that, Mei dropped her tankard to the wooden surface of the round table and left the tavern, and a furious Godwin behind her.

Felicty fluttered back to her father, her brown hair trailing behind her and a glass of cold water in her hands. Offerring it to her father, she put her hands together as she watched him down it in one gulp and sigh. It was rare that her father actually had an outburst like the one she had just witnessed. Of course, the rest of the villagers hadn't payed the slightest attention to Godwin's outburst or Mei's departure.

Lady Ann was now sitting in a chair, her face green and a bucket in front of her. Emmett sat next to her and rubbed her back awkwardly. Rosetta was now lying sprawled out with her mouth open, drool dripping from the corners of it and Neumann and Sabrina were playing cards. The rest of the villagers were busy eating, chatting, or dozing off at their respective tables.

Godwin clapped his hands loudly several times and slowly - to his surprise - the crowd's attention focused on him.

"Listen, there is another serious matter." he looked around the tavern. "Where is the newcomer going to _stay?"_

Suddenly, everyone was interested again. The bar was filled with mutters and whispers, some excited, others were worried.

"He should stay at the Inn, of course! That's the most logical solution..." Emmett exclaimed. Lady Ann gave him a swift whack to the back of the head and clutched the wooden bucket on her lap.

"There's no room, dammit!"

"What about Sharon's room?" Lukas mused. He was the resident minstrel of Kardia - a young man with a charming grin and blonde hair concealed by a large blue cap to match his blue coat. "She hardly uses it anyway."

"You've got a _girl _sleeping one room away, and you'd give her up just for some guy you don't know?" Lady Ann snorted.

"O-Okay, point taken!" The poet protested. "You know I enjoy being in the middle of two girls, Ann!" He grinned playfully.

Lady Ann's face turned slightly greener as she groaned. "Please tell me you were merely talking about the room arrangements and nothing more? And it's _Lady _Ann, dammit." she added, giving Lukas a swift kick in the shin from across the table.

"Okay, fine, the Inn is full." Godwin said irritably, breaking up their conversation. "What are our other options? Come on, people!"

"Why not the Church?" Lady Ann suggested. "They're supposed to take in orphans and what-not, aren't they?"

Mutters of agreement and approval filled the bar.

"Yeah right." This time, Lukas snorted. "Wesley would _not _let a young man live under the same roof as his precious daughter."

"Why?" Felicity wondered aloud. "Lara isn't stupid enough to fool around with some guy she barely knows."

"Tell him that!" Lukas protested. "He's just really strict." Needless to say, Wesley, the priest of Kardia, and his daughter, Lara, were not present at the bar that night, but instead decided to pray at the Church for a good year.

"Alright." Godwin growled through barred teeth. "The Church is out of the question as well, it seems."

"Wh-What about the clinic?" Tori piped up, her face redenning as people turned to look at her. "There's always that s-spare bed..."

"No way." Edward said flatly. His long brown hair went about half-way down his back. He polished his glasses while shaking his head. "We need that bed for emergencies. We can't have someone _living _there with us."

"I-It was just ... a suggestion..." Tori meekly fell into her seat and remained silent.

"Anywhere else?" Godwin's eyes travelled across the room, impatience creeping into his voice. "Anyone?"

Neumann stood rather dizzily and frowned at the mayor. "Why d'we gotta give this guy a house? It was Mist's idea to take him in, why can't he just stay with Mist?"

The bar filled with sounds of agreement and approval that were far more audible than mutters or whispers, however not one of them wondered where Mist, Melody, and the boy who's home they were currently deciding had gone. The only one to protest was Zavier.

"No! They can't... They can't _live _together!" he exclaimed, throwing his arms up in frustration. "He'll just have to build himself a house! I know, we can get Camus to make a monster hut for him and he can just sleep there --"

"Shush, Zavier." Lady Ann snapped at him. No one really payed attention to Zavier anyway.

"Yeah, I don't see why he can't just stay with her." Lukas agreed, tilting his cap up. "It makes a lot more sense than sticking him with one of us!"

Godwin considered the idea. "I suppose so... but --" he was suddenly interrupted by a loud _thud. _Everyone looked around for the source of the sound and their eyes fell on Rosetta, who had fallen off her chair and mumbled something, still not waking up. The mayor continued, as if nothing had happened. "-- the house is just so _small. _I doubt the two of them could possibly live together comfortably.."

Zavier nodded frantically. "Yes! Exactly. He can't stay with Mist. No room! None at all."

"I'm sure it'll be no problem! Mist is out and about half the day anyway." Emmett added heartily, once again ignoring Zavier. Everyone seemed to like this idea.

"I ... well... I Suppose so, then. Neumann, do you think you'd be able to have an extra bed made for him and sent to Mist's house?" Godwin addressed the blonde-haired man.

"O' course, sir." he sat back down next to Sabrina.

"Alright then, I guess it is decided. I should probably speak to Mist about it though..." Godwin muttered, turning to his daughter. Felicity gave him a warm smile.

"Trust me, Father, I doubt Mist is going to mind much..." she laughed lightly.

"Nooo!" Zavier moaned, beating his fists on the wall of the bar in defeat.

Lady Ann scolded him. "Zavier! Behave!" She pulled him by the collar and forced him back into his seat.

"Wait." said a gruff voice from the very back of the bar. Everyone spun around on the spot and their eyes turned to Leo, the gruff old blacksmith, sitting in the corner of the bar and sipping from a bottle of wine. "I think I've got a better idea, Godwin." He spoke as if no one else in the bar were present, and that only he and Godwin were speaking.

"Yes, Leo?" The mayor turned to him. Felicity stood close to her father.

"... Why doesn't the lad just stay with Melody? I'm sure she'd 'ppreciate the comp'ny..." Leo hiccupped. His eyes stayed unwaveringly on Godwin, as if the two were having their own mental conversation that no one else could understand.

"Yes!" Zavier exclaimed, jumping to his feet again. His helmet almost fell off. "He can live with _Melody! _That's a much better idea!"

Lukas grinned, an eyebrow raised. "Living in a bath-house, huh? Not bad, not bad..."

Godwin stared into Leo's eyes, and they made a silent agreement. "Aye, It's for the best." Leo took another sip of his wine. "She gets pretty lonely by herself." He said with his gruff accent. There was a hint of sadness in his voice that only Godwin was able to detect.

"Very well. He'll stay with Melody. I think they're over there now, anyway. Someone should go deliver the message --"

"I'll do it!" Zavier volunteered ecstatically, and before Lady Ann could stop him, he was out the door.

"No spying on Mist in the bath, Zavier!" she called after him, and he nearly tripped on his way out the door.

---

"_ACHOO!" _sneezed the boy. He, Melody and Mist were sitting around the table on the second floor of the Bath-house, enjoying a nice quiet meal after their _interesting _experience in the bath. Mist was silent most of the time, most likely too embarassed to speak, and nearly dropped off her chair everytime the brunette tried to catch her eye.

"You're sneezing an awful lot, you know." Melody said cheerfully as she ripped off a piece of bread and placed it on her plate. "They say that when you sneeze, it means someone is talking about you behind your back."

"Then either someone's talking about me _a lot, _or I just didn't dry off properly after my bath." he grinned sheepishly. Mist jumped slightly at the mentioning of the word 'bath'. He was starting to like Melody - she was kind, friendly, and was an excellent hostess. After the bath incident, she had taken them upstairs and prepared a delicious meal. Her room was large and _excruciatingly _hot. How Melody wore those burgundy witch clothes all the time without shrivelling up was anyone's guess. The room was fairly well-lit by candles on almost every surface. Most of the wall by her kitchen was covered in shelves upon shelves of ingredients and components for potions - it seemed to be a passionate hobby of hers. Their peaceful dinner was interrupted by the sound of the door opening.

"Odd, I don't normally get customers at eleven o'clock at night..." Melody remarked, getting up from her seat. She straightened her pointed hat and walked down the wooden staircase leading to the first floor, leaving Mist completely alone with the boy. An awkward silence was left in her wake. Deciding to break it, the boy started, "So --", but was interrupted by Melody's voice all the way from downstairs.

"ZAVIER! GET THE _HECK _OUT OF THE GIRL'S BATH!!"

"Sorry, Mel!! I thought you guys were in here!"

"YOU KNOW I DESPISE PEEPING-TOMS!!"

"_Gyahhhhhhhh! _Put the broomstick down, Melody!! I just came to deliver a message!"

"A message...?"

The volume of their voices diminished to the point where they were speaking normally again, which was, unfortunately, inaudible for the two upstairs. However, a moment later, there was a rush of steps as Melody ran up the staircase, followed by Zavier (who's helmet was slightly dented).

"You mean... Him? and _me?_" Melody gaped, pointing to the brunette, who was completely lost. Zavier nodded fervently.

"You two are going to be living together! Neumann said he'd have a bed delivered here by tomorrow."

"I'm... living here...?"

"He's living _here?" _Mist exclaimed, the first words she had said in a while.

"Yup." Zavier grinned. "You're living here. With Melody."


	4. CH4 Breakfast at Melody's

**// Author's Note: **And here's Chapter 4! Yes, its name is a reference to Breakfast at Tiffany's. (Though the chapter itself doesn't have anything to do with that film, hehe.). I'm going to be working on my other fanfic, Harvest High! for _at least _two chapters before returning to this one, but I hope you've all enjoyed the first four chapters of my RF fanfic. Please tell me what you think of it so far! Thanks for all the wonderful reviews, as usual. They are a great source of motivation.

Raguna's named is finally learned in this chapter. It's about time, huh? I just kept putting it off, and it was starting to get annoying calling him 'the boy' or 'the newcomer'. There's quite a bit of foreshadowing in this chapter also, so keep that in mind as you read. And, we've hit our first milestone of 10,000 words! Whoohoo! Anyway, I'll stop rambling now. Enjoy! **End Author's Note //**

- CHAPTER 4: Breakfast at Melody's -

The new year had begun. It was now the second day of Spring, and it was beginning to show - grass was poking up between what was left of the snow, the sun graced the village of Kardia with its presence, and the breeze was crisp and fresh. Melody sat up in her bed, soaking in the sunlight that poured in through her glass window. Her trademark hat sat neatly on her bed-side table, letting her untamed pink hair fly in every direction. She rubbed her eyes and felt her poofy hair. Melody hated it, but couldn't escape it - without her witch hat, her hair was like a wild Buffamo - wild and hard to tame.

However, it was nothing new for her. Nope, it was completely normal, in fact. Just another aspect of the very typical mornings she would wake up to. However, that all changed when she got out of bed and heard a yelp.

"Huh?!" she exclaimed, looking everywhere around her room for the source of the yelp. "Who's here?!"

"Mel...ody..." said a weak voice.

"Reveal yourself, stranger!" Melody was about to grab her trusty broom when she felt something - or someone - grab her around the ankle. "What the --"

"Melody... could you please get off me...?" said the strained voice of a boy from beneath her. "You're... you're kind of stepping on my stomach..."

Looking down, Melody exclaimed as she saw the newcomer, tangled in blankets and pillows. '_Oh right...'_ she thought, jumping off him. '_He's living with me now... That will take some getting used to.' _

"Uh... are you awake?" she asked nervously, looking down at him. She couldn't help but blush as she saw him untangling the blankets around him and getting up, his hair almost as messy and her's.

Yawning, he replied, "_Now _I am.", which caused a sheepish grin to break out over Melody's face.

"I'll... go make some tea then!" She quickly fixed her gown and stepped over him, her foot landing on another odd lump underneath the blankets that caused her to trip and fall face-first on the wooden floor. The lump mumbled.

"Oh my... I think there was something else sleeping with me." The boy said nervously, lifting the cotton blanket to reveal a still-fast asleep Mist, mumbling and hugging his leg.

"Mist!" Melody exclaimed, getting up and rubbing her elbow. "Get up!"

Now more of last night was coming to her. They had all eaten and stayed up talking so late into the night, no one even wanted to go home. The combined effects of Melody's cooking and the steamy atmosphere of the bath-house had put them all to sleep. In fact, those three weren't the only ones currently asleep in the bath-house.

"Mist?" came a voice from behind the table. A moment later, Zavier was wobbling to his feet, yawning and looking around. Just hearing Mist's name was enough to pull him out of his deep sleep.

"Uh oh..." Melody groaned, sensing what was about to happen. Just as she had predicted, Zavier had seen Mist wrapping herself around the boy in their bed of blankets.

"_MIST! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" _he yelled, suddenly fully awake. He ran over to the blonde and shook her awake. "_Getoffahim!!"_

"Huh...?" Mist blinked groggily, her ocean blue eyes opening slowly. She sat up and smiled. "Oh. Hello, Zavier!"

"Nooooo!" he moaned. "Please tell me you two didn't do anything last night."

"Do anything? What do you mean?" Mist asked obliviously. Zavier frowned, and Mist looked to her left, seeing that the brunette from last night was lying right next to her.

Uncertain of what one would say in this situation, he meekly said, "Uh... Hi."

Mist's face went from a pearly white to a vicious red. "Oh... my... I was dreaming that I was hugging ... a Buffamo... and..." Her eyes widened as she came to a sudden realisation. Staring at the boy, she promptly passed out again.

"Uh... Sorry?" he offered, looking between Melody and Zavier. The former was trying (and failing) to hide her giggles, and the latter was glaring daggers at him.

"It's okay, she'll be up and about in no time. Should I make you guys some breakfast?" Melody asked, gesturing to the kitchen.

"...I'm ... not hungry." said a sulky Zavier. "Besides, mom's probably worried about me."

"No offense, Zavier, but I don't think Lady Ann _ever _really worries..." Melody pointed out, sounding amused. She always liked Lady Ann - she was a strong, independent woman. Even though she was often stern with her two kids, Tori and Zavier, it was always with a kind heart and good intentions. She was laid-back and always trusted her kids, and Melody often envied Zavier, for he took his mom for granted.

"Yeah, yeah..." he walked morosely down the staircase and left the bath-house.

The boy stepped carefully over Mist's unconcious person and walked over to the kitchen, adjusting his clothes as he did so. "Is he going to be okay?"

"You worry too much! He's just depressed over Mist, it's nothing new. He's had the biggest crush on her since they were kids." Melody winked, cracking some eggs open.

This made him feel both happy and a little sad. Imagining Mist, Melody, Zavier, and the others growing up together seemed so sweet. Though he didn't remember his childhood, he hoped it was something similar. The one thing about being plagued by amnesia was that one never knew what they would find out about themselves - it was a scary thought that your real identity might be one that you don't want to have.

"You know..." Melody started, prodding the eggs as they sizzled on her frying pan. "We never did find out your name."

"Huh?"

"Your name! You know, like the thing that people call you by." the pink-haired girl teased.

"Odd..." he scratched his head. "I never thought about it - but now that I do... I - I can't even remember my name!"

Melody nearly dropped the eggs she was lifting onto a plate. "Oh... Right. Amnesia. That must suck." She grabbed some toast out of the toaster and put it on the plates as well.

"What do you think I should do?"

"We could always... give you a name!" Melody concluded happily, now buttering the crispy pieces of toast.

He pondered this for a while. "I guess that's okay. As long as it's not something silly." he laughed.

"Aw, I was planning to call you _Cute-Nameless-Guy _all your life, but I guess that falls under the 'silly' category, huh?" Melody teased, sprinkling salt and pepper on the eggs.

He blushed at Melody indirectly calling him cute. "Why don't you think up a name for me? I'm stumped."

"Okay, Stumpy!"

"On second thought..."

Melody grinned, filling the teapot with water and a few tea leaves. "I'm just kidding! How about ..." she looked around the room for some inspiration. "... Herb?" Her eyes fell on a bottle of dried herbs.

"...I'm not sure about that..." he gave out a nervous chuckle.

"Of course not! Um... Cocoa?" This time, she had her eyes on a small jar of hot chocolate mix. "No, wait, that's stupid. You're a _person, _not a pet!"

"Mist would disagree." he pointed out, and they both laughed. An odd silence followed as the laughter diminished. Both were smiling for reasons they could not figure out. Though they had only met the night before, the way they laughed and joked together made them feel as if they had been friends for years. They got along very well.

"Okay," Melody said, putting the teapot on the stove and leaning on the counter. Scanning her room slowly, her eyes fell on a book on the topmost shelf of her bookshelf. It was old, dusty, and was significantly more worn out than the books surrounding it. However, it lit a spark in Melody's mind. "How about Raguna?"

"Raguna...?" he considered it, taking a seat at the table. "...I like it. How did you think of that name? It's quite different from Herb and Cocoa." He grinned.

Melody's eyes snapped back to him. "Oh, it just ... came to me, I guess!" She poured them both a cup of tea, and brought it to the table along with their plates. Raguna found the sensation rather odd - adapting a whole new name. He couldn't remember his own, but having a name was something that was more or less natural - something you have from birth. Receiving a name now, at the age of twenty-one, and having to get used to it, was a little odd. Luckily, he had been right to trust Melody with the task of naming him - he quite liked the name Raguna.

"Wow, this looks great! You must really like to cook, huh?" he grinned.

Melody shrugged, taking a seat herself. "Well, when you live on your own, you kinda have no choice. But it's so darn _hot _standing over a stove when you have a steamy bath under your feet, which is why I usually cook nake -- Oh, whoops," she blushed deeply, realizing what she had just said. "...That's probably more than you would want to hear about, huh?"

A blush crept into Raguna's face yet again, and he bent his head down over his plate and took a bite of his breakfast.

"That's a habit I'm going to have to grow out of now." he heard Melody say.

Looking up at the sheepish grin on her face, he replied, "Sorry if this whole thing is going to be a burden... If you want, I can find my own place --"

"Don't be silly!" Melody shook her head. "It'll be _fun! _Besides, I'll admit that it can get rather lonely here." She took a sip of her tea.

The brunette smiled as he stretched his arms. "Regardless, I think I'm going to find a job or something to pay rent. I feel bad that you're all going through all this trouble for me."

"You're being silly again. It's not a big deal." she assured him. "It's just how our town is. We welcome strangers with open arms - as strange as it sounds."

Raguna couldn't decide if that was foolish or just very kind. "Really?"

"That's right! My grandparents arrived in this town with no money or anything, and they did the same for them. Same goes for Mei - well, you don't know her, but you will soon. She's this soldier from a foreign country. She just appeared one day, wounded from a battle, and requested a room at the Inn, and Lady Ann just gave her a free room and everyone came around to the Inn to help her out." Melody explained in between munches of toast. "Sweet, isn't it?"

"It is." Raguna agreed.

"You'll get what I mean when I take you to meet the villagers. They're all super nice - and no asking about jobs, got it?"

"...Sure." the brunette lied.

"I mean it!" Melody said sharply, having detected the dishonesty in his voice.

"I know, I know!"

As breakfast finished, Melody got up and gathered the dishes and took them to the counter. Raguna offered to help, but Melody just called him '_silly' _once again and told him she needed no help. "You should go down and take your bath, Raguna. I usually charge people, _but _we're living together, so there's no way I could charge you!" she grinned as her hands busied themselves with the dishes in the sink.

"I guess so. What about Mist?" Raguna nodded to the still-unconcious blonde lying in the mess of blankets.

"Don't worry about her..." The pink-haired girl replied. "She'll come to sooner or later. And if she doesn't, I'll just dump some water on her." she grinned mischievously.

Thanking Melody one last time, Raguna made his way downstairs to the bath. It was a lot like an ever-flowing, heated fountain. He nervously undid his pants and undressed slowly, eyes darting all over the place for any signs of a peeping Melody. Only after dipping his bare body into the boiling water, the steam obscuring most of his body from view, did he feel safe and let out a long sigh. The bath felt sensational. It was definitely an up-side to living in a boiling hot house like this. Resting his eyes, Raguna let thoughts surface freely.

He began thinking about his past. It was so _frustrating _to try and think about just a few days ago, only to hit a large block of nothingness in his mind. If only there was some way to find out who he was... or did he want to? He could just start a new life here, as 'Raguna', and make a living in Kardia. But what about his past self? It was unsettling to think that by staying here he was leaving an entirely past life behind. What if there were people who cared about him back then? What if he had unfinished business? All this thinking was making his head hurt. He sighed again, deciding that he'd stay in Kardia for a few days at most, then maybe continue on to a bigger city to find people who may know who he was. Staying in one spot would never get him any closer to finding out about his past.

Raguna's train of thought came to a sudden halt as he heard Melody's familiar voice humming a merry tune. He opened his eyes, and sure enough, right across from him, on the other side of the room, stood Melody, unlacing her gown and undressing slowly. The steam was too thick for him to see more than a faint outline of her body.

"Hmmm, hmmm!" The pink-haired girl hummed. "It sure is great to have a nice hot bath right after cleaning." She said to no one in particular.

Raguna, however, assumed she was talking to him. "Um... Melody?" He said uncomfortably.

Melody's humming paused and she turned to Raguna, staring at him through the steam. Then she remembered the _other _thing that happened last night.

"Oh shoot. The wall's still broken, isn't it?" she asked uncertainly.

"...Yeah..." The brunette replied.

"...Does that mean you just saw me undress?" she asked, her voice slightly higher.

"Yeah... Well -" he stammered. "Really... It was too steamy, I didn't a-actually _see _anything..."

"You're such a dork!" Melody giggled.

"I'm.. going to get out, okay?" Raguna said uncomfortably. "...And go see the village."

Melody protested. "Wait for me! I wanted to show you around." she pouted.

"Then... I'll get out and dry up and... let you bathe in privacy... Promise not to look when I'm getting out!" he said, his cheeks burning.

"You're so silly, Raguna..." Melody teased, but turned her head anyway.

Raguna grabbed a towel from the rack, and his clothes, and made his way upstairs. Noting that Mist was still present, he went into the kitchen to change. Exiting the kitchen, fully dressed, he poured himself another cup of tea and sipped it, waiting for Melody to finish up her bath. After giving her what seemed like a reasonable amount of time, he went downstairs to find a fully-dressed Melody, witch hat and all, leaning against the door.

"Ready? She asked, opening the door and letting the sunlight pour in. Raguna nodded eagerly and followed Melody out the door. The birds chirped happily that morning. However, Melody had frozen in her tracks and Raguna walked right into her.

"Ow...! What's going ..." he looked up to see why Melody had stopped. Surrounding her small two-story building was a large crowd of people, all grinning. Some held gifts, others cheered. All the villagers had come out to greet them. Raguna looked from smiling face to smiling face, and all of a sudden the sounds of the birds' merry tune was drowned out by a raucous shout.

"WELCOME TO KARDIA!"


	5. CH5 Another Word for Crazy

**/Author's Note: **Whoa… How did I end up here again?! Apparently I've taken further leave of my senses and decided to resurrect another one of my old projects! Because, you know, university just doesn't give me enough work as it is, am I right?

But on a quasi-serious note, _The Witch Who Wasn't_ is one of the few projects from my teen years that I don't look back on and instantly feel like cringing, so I figured that had to be a sign. That, and finally getting my hands on a copy of Rune Factory Frontier for a very affordable $20, and knowing that people showed fair amount of interest in the first four chapters of this fic, propelled me into writing it once more.

Yes, I thought this fic was dead. Apparently not, and I've got a bunch of ideas for it blossoming left, right and center, too, so it's back – for now. I can't guarantee, with my flakiness, if it'll stick around, but with the right show of interest and more Rune Factory games stealing my attention, I think there's a good chance I can make a dent in the story? Let's hope so! So, welcome back, and I hope you enjoy Chapter 5! **End Author's Note/ **

- CHAPTER 5: Another Word for Crazy –

Raguna and Melody stood, facing the crowd, with equally shocked expressions plastered on their faces.

"Good… morning?" Melody offered weakly. The greeting fell on deaf ears as every member of the crowd tried to speak at once, coming forward with – to Melody's surprise – gifts and accolades.

Neumann held one end of a brand new bed on its side, Camus supporting the other side and Lady Ann held blankets and pillows under her arm. "My beds are top notch, kid. Good luck gettin' out of one in the morning, they're softer than a Wooly's backside and warmer than Clemens on a mid-summer day."

"As a new citizen of our fair town," piped up Russell, "It's my duty and my honour to educate you on Kardia's history." He had with him a stack of books and a gleam in his eye that suggested nothing but passion. "You'll be _enraptured."_

"You're skin and bones, m 'boy! That won't do at all – someone's got to fatten you up!" guffawed Jasper as he forced a basket of savory-smelling food into Melody's hands, "I leave that task up to you, yes?" Something in her memory stirred as she suddenly recalled the fairy tale involving the children fattened up in a very similar manner only to be eaten themselves. She accepted the basket with only a _hint _of a suspicious glare in Jasper's direction.

"Take these, I'unno, seeds'r somethin'…" Rosetta pushed forward and tried to drop a satchel of seeds into Raguna's hand but was betrayed by her skewed depth perception and they fell unceremoniously to the pavement. She didn't bother to pick them up but instead wheeled away from them, making slurred complaints about how things were '_too loud'_ and the sun was '_too bright' _and how she'd '_never drink again.'_

Wesley was next, the aged priest who had tactfully declined the invitation to the pub last night. He introduced himself in a low, monotonous voice, then said a quick and inaudible prayer for Raguna, wrapped a crucifix around his neck with surprising force, and glided off.

Sabrina hobbled over, nursing an even worse hangover than Rosetta's – but was so accustomed to it that she managed to go about her business as usual – and handed over a decrepit looking fishing rod. "S'been sitting around for ages, y'know, and I know it don't look like much, but it can still catch a fish or two!" She unhooked a fish skeleton still on the line – how long had it _been _there? – and tossed it behind her. Melody pursed her lips, suppressing the urge to voice her displeasure at such a filthy object taking up space in her home.

Edward came forward and dropped a first aid kit onto the ever-growing pile of objects in Raguna's hands, but remarked that Melody's concoctions were likely more effective than any mass-produced kit one could get their hands on. Felicity, waifish even in the veritable bath of spring sunlight, meekly offered a Cheesecake she had baked herself. Jean, Rosetta's father and the owner of the General Store, offered Raguna a rucksack for his belongings. Lukas then came closer than anyone, dropped a few shiny square packages in Raguna's pocket and said only that he would 'thank him later, man.' After wishing him luck and ignoring Raguna's perplexed look, he too trotted off.

The stream of people ended with Emmett, who gave the two of them a half-finished bottle of wine that he claimed that even at half its contents, cost more than their entire house. They took it from him and thanked him, deciding not to bring to light the price tag still taped to the side of the bottle that said otherwise.

The citizens stepped back, beaming, as Raguna struggled to balance everything; Melody helped.

"Um… Thank you, all of you. I've done nothing to deserve this, and yet you've –"

"Nonsense, nonsense!" laughed Neumann hoarsely, "You're one of us now."

"I mean, I haven't really _done _much –"

"What d'ya think this is, boy?" Emmett huffed, "We ain't the Imperial Magic Academy or anything. We're just a town!"

Lady Ann stepped forward, "And whether you're here for a day or a year or a lifetime, you're a part of this town whether y'like it or not. We've got your back, kiddo."

Guilt bit at the back of Raguna's conscience, for he was reminded that his plan had indeed been to remain here only a few days before heading off. He decided there'd be no harm in staying longer, if only to repay the villagers for their kindness. His desire to look for work grew stronger.

"Besides," added Camus, with a mournful shake of the head, "One more person for Mist to obsess over means less torment for the rest of us." The air filled with the sound of laughter and agreement.

"Ha! Yes! You're her new plaything! We're all off the hook!" jeered Rosetta, hangover suddenly forgotten. Maniacal laughter bubbled from her stomach to her throat.

"May Grimoire be with you," Wesley mumbled, and he lowered his head in prayer.

"She's not… _that _bad," said Melody defiantly. Few people paid her any attention. "What happened to all your talk of –" she put on a rather high-pitched Lady Ann impersonation that was not quite true to the source, "- _Whether you're here for a day or a year or a lifetime, you're part of this town! _Doesn't that apply to Mist?"

The real Lady Ann rubbed the back of her head sheepishly, "Stop makin' me look bad, kiddo."

"Mist isn't a… bad person," Edward said strategically, "She certainly keeps me in business." By, of course, providing him with a steady stream of injured young men wrapped up in whatever scheme she had recently pulled out of her head.

"She marches to the beat of a different drum," said Melody matter-of-factly, "And there's nothing wrong with that."

"Nothing wrong with –" a large yawn came from behind Raguna and Melody, from somewhere within the bathhouse – "_What? _Oh, hullo everyone."

Mist had finally regained consciousness. Melody and Raguna turned back to face her (she pointedly avoided meeting Raguna's eyes, her face still tinged with red), and the rest of the town gaped at the timely arrival.

Lukas shot Melody a _you-could-have-_told_-us-she-was-RIGHT-THERE_ look and most of the villagers shuffled around conspicuously.

"G'morning, Mist," Melody greeted jovially, "We just had a… few visitors."

"Ooh, how nice! Are all these people here for a bath?! Should I get the towels out for all of them?"

"Y'know, that's not a bad idea – I could make a _killing _while you're all here…"

Suddenly the Kardians present had places to be and things to do.

# # #

"I didn't expect him to actually hold a full-on _sermon _upon our first real meeting…" Raguna squeezed the yawn-induced tears out of his eyes and tried to shake off the feeling of having just woken up. He was still wearing the crucifix Wesley had forced on him earlier that day.

It was mid-afternoon and they had already visited the Inn, the Clinic, the Town Square, the Beach, and most recently, the Church, from which they just escaped.

"That? Ohoho, _that _was not a sermon. That was brief and _concise _for Wesley," Melody informed him, wagging a finger, "But don't worry, everyone tunes him out eventually."

"Are you not religious?" he asked his newfound friend.

Melody paused, shifting the witch's hat atop her head so that it stood straight up, "I believe in the deities, like Grimoire – it's hard _not _to, there's so much hard evidence of their existence. But…" she hesitated.

"Sorry," said Raguna quickly, "This probably wasn't the kinda thing to ask so soon anyway. Er – What's your… uh, favourite colour?"

Melody tittered, her burgundy hat falling lopsided again, and told him, "It's okay! Now come on, our next destination is in sight!"

Next was, in fact, The Kardia Library.

"Russell and…" Raguna searched his recent-most memories for a name, "Tori? Tori – Zavier's sister, Lady Ann's daughter. They work here, right?

"And Cecillia, but I doubt you'd have seen her yet. But yeah, good job!"

The newly exposed world felt odd to Raguna. He could remember the basics of Noradian society – things like sermons, Grimoire, magic, etcetera. Talking with Melody helped a great deal, as with but a word a fragment of a memory would surface, filling in a blank. Buffamoos produced Milk, Holidays were days of rest, Chairs were for sitting, Food was for eating – _these _memories came back easily enough, nestling themselves in with whatever few of their brethren remained. Any specifics about his own life, his friends, family, hometown, hobbies & habits, had been frustratingly elusive.

However, looking at Kardia and trying to fill in all those non-basic, more specific memories – who people were, what they did, where they lived – had proved to be surprisingly potent. He found himself remembering details that were hardly noticeable at all: that the rope fastened around Melody's robe as a belt was double-knotted, that Mist had a slight lisp in her voice when she was embarrassed, that Wesley was fond of putting his hand on his chin as he spoke; it was as if his memory was hungry for whatever it could possibly get. Just as an empty stomach endeavored to fill itself with whatever it could find, Raguna's empty memoryspace did the same.

"They're nice," Melody remarked, heaving Raguna out of his own thoughts, "Very well-educated people. Russell's a huge history nerd, so if you've got anything you wanna ask about Norad or Kardia, he'd be over the moon if you asked him. And Tori can recommend any novel written in the last, like, two-hundred years."

"Impressive!"

"They're quite the pair," Melody rapped on the door, though the formality was one she usually forsook, "Though maybe a little… eccentric."

Raguna was beginning to wonder if _anyone _in Kardia could be considered something other than 'eccentric', as Melody had put it, when Cecilia the yet-to-be-introduced came to the door. "Heya, Miss Melody!"

The first thing Raguna noticed on the tiny Cecilia were her pointed ears protruding from her honey-coloured hair, and the word 'elf' floated across his consciousness. Melody hadn't told him _that _part. His primitive memory pieced together a few facts about elves that were largely irrelevant – longer lifespans, living apart from humans, and in some cases, outright disliking them. None of these really pertained to the young Cecilia, who beamed up at them toothily.

"Ceci! Happy New Year." Melody knelt down and let the youngster embrace her.

"You smell like…" The elf inhaled, "Cherry grass!"

Melody giggled, "You got it! I'm mixing it into a new soap mixture for the baths, so I guess it's kind of lingered on my clothing."

"I wanna try it!" proclaimed 'Ceci' in a sing-song voice.

"I wish the _other _littlerunt would be as excited to take baths…" Melody got up and ruffled Ceci's blonde locks; she giggled in response.

"Getting' Nick into a bath is like gettin' a stampeding Buffamoo into a pen!"

"I swear on my bathhouse, I will get that rascal bathed and laundered if it's the last thing I do…" The bath-house owner muttered under her breath, prompting Cecilia to only laugh harder.

"By the way, this is my friend Raguna. He's gonna be staying with me at the bathhouse from now on. Rags, this is Cecilia – or Ceci."

Flinching at the abbreviation of his own name, Raguna extended a hand and Cecilia daintily shook it. "Nice to meet you, Cecilia."

Smiling sweetly, she replied, "A pleasure."

"Is Russell around? Or Tori?" Melody asked, after Cecilia let them in.

Space in the library, as one might expect, was taken up mostly by books. There were rows of bookshelves filled with books of varying conditions – some new, hard-bound, and barely read, and others so decrepit they threatened to dissolve into dust if made contact with.

"Russell's upstairs, but I swear I just saw Tori around here…" Cecilia scanned the room, "Tori?"

The bookish blonde bumbled an apology as she emerged from behind a row of books, trying to conceal her attempt at what looked like hiding. "Ah! M-Melody, didn't see you there… And… er… I was just, you see… H-Hullo, it's… Welcome…!"

One didn't have to be a Kardian scholar to deduce that the girl did not excel in social situations.

" Hi again," Raguna said in an easy tone, hoping to convince her she had nothing to fret about around him.

"You're… Er…"

"Oh, Raguna."

Tori's eyes brimmed with interest suddenly. She put a hand to her cheek and said, "Such an interesting name."

"You have Melody to thank for that," Raguna informed her, with a quick gesture to the rose-haired girl.

Tori gave Melody an uncharacteristically scrutinizing look for a brief moment. Melody seemed to avoid her gaze.

"Tori!" called a voice from upstairs, one that Raguna was able to link to Russell, "Is somebody there? I haven't heard you talk to a customer that much since Camus came asking for advice on raising Buffamoos!"

What _was it _with the girls of this town and Buffamoos?

Tori blushed and sputtered, eyes shooting to the ground and her thick blonde fringe keeping a good portion of her face out of sight, "R-Russell! It's Melody and h-her friend, Raguna!"

"_Really?_"

There was a sound of a chair scooting across wooden flooring, and after the thumping of footsteps above them, Russell appeared on the staircase, glasses glinting in the midday light.

"_Well!_" he said, descending dramatically, "So it is! Welcome, welcome. Raguna, you said your name was?"

Raguna nodded, "Nice to see you again, uh, Russell."

"Yes, indeed, charmed." He extended a hand and Raguna shook it, "I was _hoping _you'd come to visit."

Melody shot him a furtive glance over Raguna's shoulder, eyebrow cocked.

"Haha, Melody was just taking me around to properly meet everyone and get a feel for the town."

"Lovely place, isn't it?" Russell asked, not at all interested in the answer, "Tori, could you go put some tea on, please?"

"Oh, y-yes. Shall I put on a full pot or…?"

"Melody," Russell suddenly addressed the bathhouse owner, "Do you think you could assist Tori? She's gone through a half dozen teapots already, burned straight through."

"I- I that's not… entirely… true…"

"Tori, last month we had to brew tea in one of Zavier's spare helmets 'cause you roasted our sixth teapot…" Cecilia chimed in, adding further hues of red to Tori's already blushing face.

"Jeez, what were y'doing, Tori? Brewing tea with Crimson Fire?" Melody asked incredulously, making steps towards the kitchen. Tori mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like '_maybe…' _and the girls headed off together, Cecilia tagging along with a childish grin in place.

"Good," the silver-haired librarian muttered. He looked over his shoulder to make sure the girls were out of earshot and said, more clearly this time, "_Good._"

"What…" Raguna started, tilting his head questioningly, "is 'good'? If you don't mind me asking?"

"_You,_" Russell took a step forward, a smile playing on the corners of his mouth, "Are _very _interesting to me."

He was taken aback by the sudden profession, and took a step back unconsciously, "R-Really? What makes me so… interesting? I'm just a, uh, well, an ordinary guy?" That last part wasn't entirely true, and Raguna knew it.

"I just think you have _potential, _let's say." Russell adjusted his spectacles and turned to the bookshelf nearest to him, pointing to various books as the sound of water filling a kettle was heard. "Aha."

His finger hovered over a volume on the middle shelf and he pulled out a book, ornate with golden embroidery. "I have some homework for you, let's call it."

Raguna felt it pointless to voice is inquisitiveness at this point. "Alright…"

Russell brought the book over to him and jabbed it at his rucksack. "Keep it in there, alright? I want you to take a look at it once you get home, but… when you have some privacy."

_Privacy _in Melody's bathhouse-slash-apartment wasn't exactly a commodity, but Raguna nodded, curious if nothing else. Russell didn't strike him as particularly shady, but perhaps as having a bit too much of a flair for the dramatic for a librarian.

"Consider it a gift, along with all those history books I gave you. Just take a peek at it – but only when you're alone."

Raguna nodded seriously, and dropped the tome into his rucksack. "Right. Um, thank you."

"Don't mention it, don't mention it. Come see me as soon as you can after you've taken a look at it, though. I'm sure you'll have a few… questions." Russell ended with a little _hmm-hmm _of laughter, just as Melody and Tori re-emerged from the kitchen with a tray of strong-smelling tea.

# # #

"So as it turns out, she was reading out of a _magic book _and not a _cook book…_" Melody laughed, hands placed behind her head as she and Raguna walked the cobbled streets back to the bath-house. They enjoyed the scenery of the village as it was dyed in shades of orange and pink, the sun's glow losing vigor as it set behind the hills.

"And that's how the drapes caught on fire?"

"And that's how Tori was absolved from dinner duty ever again," she corrected him, "But really, she's a nice girl, a little… loony, but nice."

"Kardia seems to be full of girls who are… well, a little loony."

"Hey, that's not fair! I'm normal, right? I mean, relatively speaking?"

"I guess, but when your competition is Mist, or Rosetta, er… I don't think that's saying much."

With a playful punch in the side of the arm, Melody broke out into laughter, "Okay, okay, the jig is up, you've been adopted into a giant loonybin!"

"Like I ever thought otherwise!"

One sun-kissed walk later and they were back home, or back to the establishment that Raguna would have to come to know as 'home'. Already the familiarity of the assortment of smells proved to be a comfort, and Raguna's feet were aching for a soak – something he had a feeling his roommate would be all too happy to offer him.

"Tomorrow we should probably go pay a visit to Godwin –"

"- The mayor, -"

"- Good boy. And then Leo, he's –"

"- The blacksmith –"

"- You got it. I feel like I should give you a treat or something. I've always wanted a parrot, y'know. Would totally brighten up the atmosphere in here."

Raguna laughed as he pushed the door forward and open, stepping out of his shoes and placing them on the mat to the side of the entrance. "I'm sorry you got one with such unkempt plumage."

She stood on her tippy-toes to ruffle his hair, "Eh, you're no parrot, but you've got the eye-candy factor in other ways, y'know."

Raguna felt laughter die in his throat and red rush to his cheeks. Melody too froze for a moment and quickly withdrew her hand.

_'Were we just…' _thought Raguna.

'_… Oh no… Was that…'_ thought Melody.

'_…Flirting?!' _

"I'm, uh, gonna go get some dinner prepared, is that cool with you?" Melody rushed to kick off her pointed boots and blustered over to the staircase, "Food, is like, good… for, um, eating."

"Yes!" Raguna replied, a little too enthusiastically, "Yes, I, er, I remember food being… good… for – for eating. Yes."

"Great! It's great that we both like food! Because that's what's for dinner!"

"H…Hooray! Food!"

Hurrying up the staircase, Raguna called out as an afterthought, "Um, I'm gonna take my bath now, then, is that alright?"

"Yes! Please do. I'll… get out of your hair." She replied, feeling her hand grow hot as it recalled the texture of Raguna's chocolate locks. "I – I mean, I'll leave you to it."

"Thanks. I'll be quick!"

The amount of awkward moments witnessed by the walls of this bathhouse had to have been beyond counting at this point.

Raguna stripped, still peering around nervously in case Melody decided to reappear on the stairwell, and wrapped one of Melody's bath-only towels around his waist. He slumped his rucksack against the wall, and decided that, if ever there was going to be a moment of privacy, this would probably be it. He tossed open the flap of the leather bag and was met with the glint of gold, prominent as ever on the cover of the elusive book.

_ "I just think you have potential," _Russell had said, earlier that day, taking special care with his emphasis on the last word. _Potential. _Potential for _what? _And why couldn't Melody see it? He had half a mind to ignore Russell's caveat and ask Melody personally was it was – he trusted her more than him, at this point. But… he must have had his reasons, right?

Raguna ran his fingers over the cover, feeling the embossed gold rise in slight bumps. The book didn't seem to have any visible title – at least, none that was in any language the brunette recognized. He turned it over a few times, then, curiosity finally staking its claim on his actions, opened the hard cover.

Squinting through the accumulating steam, Raguna made out the title of the book, printed neatly in the common language in bold, ornate lettering.

'_Manifesting Magick_: _A Beginner's Guide to Teleportation' _


	6. CH6 The Sword Smith

**/Author's Note: **Just so you guys don't think it was as one-off thing, here's Chapter 6! Not much to say this time around, actually. The story is kind of crawling along on a day-by-day basis, but I'll probably be shaking that up soon. Oh, and it has a shiny new cover image, too! I guess that's pretty nifty. Anyway, here's hoping my motivation to get through this story lasts! Letting me know what you think via reviews is usually the best way to keep me invested – I love to hear from you guys. Enjoy! **End Author's Note/**

- CHAPTER 6: The Sword Smith -

Raguna went to bed that night with – in addition to his fragmented memory – one more thing to puzzle about. Russell had said he had '_potential' _and then handed him a spell book. Was he supposed to take this to mean that he might be adept at the magical arts?

_Magic… _the amnesiac tried to piece together what he knew about it. It must have been fairly common, for when jets of water had come shooting out of Russell's and Tori's palms the night before, he hadn't batted an eyelid, nor did anyone else. Sure, it was kind of mesmerizing, but it clearly wasn't out of this world. It was practiced in open spaces, even, so it didn't seem to be shunned or frowned upon. Mist had even tried to conjure a Fireball to take care of a rogue bug, so it even had its everyday uses – though that might not have been the best example, considering what had followed.

Raguna turned over in his new bed, eyes falling upon Melody's sleeping form, buried under at least two or three blankets. It had been strange enough when Russell had given him the book, but doubly strange that he asked him not to share it with anyone. If magic was so common, surely no one would think twice about him taking it up? Was it possible Russell wasn't allowed to issue spellbooks out to unofficial citizens? Raguna stared up at the rafters along the ceiling for a few moments longer before deciding to roll over and make a strained stretch for his rucksack. He lifted it over himself and turned to face the wall, his body forming a wall between his rucksack and any prying eyes. Pulling out the tome once more, the brunette inched his body towards the hairs of silvery moonlight streaking his bed and tried to skim through a few pages.

It was a book for beginners, that much was clear. The magic it taught was as non-lethal as magic could get: a spell to teleport oneself to a location they thought of very strongly as "Home". The more he read, the more he came to understand how basic it was. It wasn't uncommon for the everyday housewife to master the spell, just to avoid carrying groceries home, or for children attending schools far from their homes to use as a quick means of commute. There was nothing dangerous about it, no forbidden uses or dangerous amendments to serve wicked uses. There was nothing that could seemed so out of the ordinary that he would be forbidden to share it with anyone.

Turning over again, to make sure Melody was still fast sleep, Raguna's eyes fell on the burgundy witch hat sitting atop her bedside table, the pointed end standing straight up in a way it rarely did while on her head. Did Melody, despite her appearance, have something against magic?

Raguna decided he would abide to Russell's warning, at least for the time being, and snuck the book back into his bag and his bag back under his bed. He stared up at the rafters again, and tried to imagine the sensation of teleporting, of appearing in one place instantaneously. Closing his eyes and going over the particulars of the spell in his mind, Raguna tried to instill in himself that his current surroundings were "Home". Somehow, with Melody's light snoring on the other side of the room, the smell of a panoply of herbs, and the constant heat rising through the floor from the baths, he didn't have to work very hard to convince himself of that.

# # #

"I'm sorry, Melody, I really just didn't see it…"

"Whaaat?! Come on, the air was so thick with it, I thought I was going to choke!"

Melody locked the door behind her and patted the wood of the doorframe affectionately, as if to assure her bathhouse that she'd be back soon. Turning to Raguna, she rolled her eyes.

"I – I guess I'm just not great at picking up on these things!"

"But… the raw sexual tension! I thought my hat was gonna catch on fire if we spent a minute longer in there!"

Raguna's foot caught in a groove in the cobblestone as he heard Melody speak, not exactly comfortable with their topic of conversation. "I guess I need to get to know them a bit better?"

"I'm telling you, Rags. Tori wants Russell, and she wants him _bad. _Just keep an eye out for it from now on, 'kay?" Melody spoke with the slight air of an explorer out in the field.

"I'll… I'll try." Raguna reluctantly assured her. She didn't entirely hear him as she turned on her heel to wave 'Hello' to Neumann and to flash a smile at Felicity. Raguna followed suite, reminding himself that Felicity often worked part-time at Neumann's store. Ignoring the pain of his stubbed toe and trying to keep up with Melody's brisk pace, he proceeded to ask her, "So… Does Neumann often take on part-time workers?"

Shooting him a glare from under her hat, Melody answered, "No, so stop thinking about it. I'm more than capable of providing for us both! That bathhouse isn't just for show, you know."

"But that's – I still don't want to _burden _you with this, especially when I've –"

"Is this 'cause I'm a girl?"

"W-What?! No!" Raguna shook his head frantically, only to see a teasing grin stitching itself through Melody's mouth.

"Oh, Rags! Don't let your manhood feel threatened! Tell you what, if any orcs spontaneously come crashing through my bathhouse, I'll sit back and let you whack 'em over the head with a hoe!"

"_Much _appreciated." He said with a drawl of sarcasm, "_If _something comes up though, I'm going for it. And… and you can't stop me!"

Melody tittered at Raguna's attempt at bravado. "Of _course _not. Now c'mon, let's pick up the pace."

"Where to today?"

"Leo's, first. He'll be working away, this early in the morning. God, it feels good to be up at this hour for once!"

"Do you usually sleep in?" Raguna himself heard the guilt creeping into his voice again, "Sorry, er…"

Melody dismissed his question with a wave of her hand, "Don't even start. It's nice having a bit more structure in my life." She turned suddenly and jabbed her finger straight at Raguna's face, "Don't even think about going on about being a burden and disrupting my way of life or something like that, now. I've genuinely been enjoying our time together, so no guilt. None! Got it?"

Raguna's mouth lifted into a smile that mirrored Melody's sentiments. "Got it."

# # #

The Sword Smith Leo, as it turned out, had two preconditions that had to be met before he could work efficiently: the sun couldn't be _too _high in the sky, and he couldn't be _too _sober. Thus, joining the smell of burning coal and metals was the thick smell of an alcohol that seemed to have a penchant for going straight up your nostrils.

"Leo! I've got someone here to meet you!" Melody called, as Raguna coughed through the mélange of aromas.

Leo was seated at a work desk, pouring over what looked like intricate designs and instructions, of weapons of all shapes and sizes. He took regular swigs from a flask at least twice the size of a normal drinking glass and barely opened his mouth when he did – it was always sealed in a tight frown. His left eye swiveled from side to side in its sockets, but his right eye seemed to be perpetually shut – something Melody had warned Raguna that morning not to bring up.

"It ain't even Thursday, lass." He spoke gruffly and turned his body around in his chair to face them, his one working eye traveling from Melody to Raguna. His eyebrows remained furrowed. His mouth remained frowning.

"I'll still come Thursday evening, as usual! I just thought this would be a good opportunity to properly introduce you to my – housemate."

"How're yeh adjusting then?"

"Oh, it's been fine and dandy, aside from Raguna walking around naked half the time like he owns the place."

Raguna emitted a yelp of protest along with garbled denials, both of which were quickly drowned out by Melody's laughter. Leo did not laugh – he did not even smile – but if he was capable of smiling, Raguna felt that this was the closest he would get to it.

"Aye, lad, I know yer a healthy young man, livin' in close-quarters with an attractive young lass, but it'd be in yer best interest not to try anythin'." His one eye bore into Raguna's with the power of a thousand, "If y'get any ideas, just remember that her Uncle Leo taught her how to swing a sword as good as any soldier."

"Not that I _have _a sword, but I've got a pretty mean swing with the broomstick I use to clean the baths." Melody added cheekily.

"An' if yeh ever need something that'll make yer point a little more… _clear-cut._" Leo got up and gestured to the wall behind them, upon which an array of weapons hung, glinting menacingly in the light of the furnace, "Uncle Leo's got yeh covered."

Raguna's eyes darted from sword to spear to axe and he felt a lump form in his throat, that he swallowed hastily.

"Now then, while yer here, lemme put on some tea. Lemme know if y'like it brewed strong or weak, eh, lad?"

And the man that had, a mere breath ago, just threatened Raguna's life, hobbled over to his kitchen to make him some tea.

# # #

With the tea made and served – Melody helped, as Leo's proficiency with a forge apparently did not extend to the kitchen – the three of them sat around Leo's work area. He had a few probing questions for Raguna about his amnesia, nearly all of which Raguna answered with variations of, "I don't know". Do you have any inkling how you lost your memory? Did someone attack you? Were you the guinea pig of some experiment? Did you _really _lose your memory or are you just a spy from the Sechs Empire? That last one had been particularly fun to answer, and to convince the old man that he was _not, _in fact, plotting Kardia's downfall from the second floor of a bathhouse.

"But enough about Raguna," Melody pressed on, keeping her voice as sweet as possible, "How've _you _been, Leo?"

"Bah," was the smith's monosyllabic response.

"Bah?"

"Ah've been havin' a bit of trouble with some hired help. That there boy, from the Inn. Yeh know."

"Oh," Raguna said, "Zavier? Ann's son?"

"_Lady _Ann," Leo and Melody corrected him at once, simultaneously, Melody with a hint of exasperation.

Raguna had never been entirely clear on why it was of so much importance to refer to the seemingly normal innkeeper as _Lady. _"Um… No offense intended, but what's it matter? It's not like she can hear us."

"Best not t'take chances, lad." Leo said, closing his eye and taking a gulp from his cup.

"_Trust _us. You do _not _want to know what happened to the last person who made that mistake. For now, just assume all the walls have eyes and ears."

Raguna wasn't entirely sure how to respond to that. "A-Anyway, you were saying, Mr. Leo? Zavier?"

Leo raised an eyebrow but did not object to the honorific. "He's worthless as a fighter, that's the gist of it."

Melody propped her elbow up on the table and leaned her face into the palm of her hand. "Yup, that sounds like Zavier alright. When we were kids, if Rosetta so much as raised her voice at him he'd flinch and run back home." She chuckled at the memory and Raguna laughed. "Then again, we were all kind of scared of Rosetta. …We're all _still _kinda scared of Rosetta."

"Have you been training him or something? Uh, sir?" Raguna added, prompting Melody and Leo to exchange a look of amusement.

"Nah, I wouldn't waste m'time on that runt. I just offered him some work, as a favour to Lady Ann, yeh know. Ah've had him runnin' to Carmite for me to gather ore, but the lad keeps getting chased out by monsters, runnin' around like they own the place."

Melody's elbow slipped slightly. With alarm creeping into her voice, she asked, "_More _monsters? I thought Carmite was pretty much deserted these days?"

"Ach, well, unless the lad is tellin' tall tales, it seems somethin' is up. There've been more and more in the past few weeks than in the past few years."

"Troubling, troubling…" Melody murmured. "Does Godwin know about this?"

"O' course he does."

"Now that you mention it, Mist was telling me about an Orc that suddenly attacked her out in the field."

"Mm," Raguna nodded, "The one I –"

"Yes, Mr. Knight-In-Shining-Armor, the one you heroically fought off with a hoe." Melody poked his cheek teasingly, just in time for it to turn red as if by her touch.

"Aye, Zavier's been runnin' back with his tail between his legs at the sight of goblins 'n kobolds."

"Goblins and kobolds and orcs, oh my…" Melody shook her head, the tall hat shaking with it.

A few moments of uneasy silence passed before Leo let out a bark-like laugh.

"S'good news for me, if it means more people need weapons made. Things were gettin' too quiet around here anyway."

"Uh…"

"Boy! D'you have a weapon?"

"He doesn't need one," Melody said immediately, eyes darting over to Raguna with just enough time to see interest flicker across his face.

"Every'un needs a weapon, lass! _Every damn person!_" Leo proclaimed passionately, "When life gives yeh lemons, yeh gotta stab 'em! Stab 'em straight through the heart!"

"… I don't think I've ever heard _that _proverb before." Melody cocked an eyebrow, "But sure. I think Raguna will be just fine, actually."

"Actually – I mean, it couldn't hurt." Raguna disagreed, albeit sheepishly.

"Um, yes it can. That's kind of its primary function."

"You know what I mean… Besides, what if Mist gets attacked again? What if it's someone else, next time? If what Zavier says is true, the town could have a real monster problem on its hands…"

Melody furrowed her eyebrows, "And… you want to be the one to single-handedly save it? Is that what you're saying?"

"Well… Not necessarily, but for self-defense purposes… It might be a good idea?"

"Maybe…"

"Then it's decided!" Leo finished his cup of tea and slammed it down on the table with unnecessary enthusiasm, "I'll forge yeh a great sword, boy."

"Th-Thank you, Mr. Leo! I'll put it to good use!"

Realizing that her protests would do no good here, Melody's frown curled back into a smirk and she decided to go back to teasing. "_I _think you're just _hoping _for more monster attacks so you can save some pretty girls and get _all _the lovin'."

As was expected by now, Raguna's face turned a deep shade of puce. "Th-That's not it, Melody!"

"_Suuure _it isn't. I bet you just _can't _wait for someone to come bursting in, announcing that –"

"LEO!" The doors swung open and morning sunlight flooded the dimly-lit workshop, Zavier standing among it. "There's a Goblin attacking Mist's farm! Come quick!"

The three exchanged a look of distress and jumped to their feet, Melody muttering as she did so, "Oh come on, what were the chances of _that _happening?"

# # #

"N-N-Nice Goblin! Stay there! I… I am a malevolent Tree spirit, and you are bothering me! B-Begone, before I exercise my wrath on you in th-the form of… Uh… Apples!" Mist grabbed an apple from a branch near enough to her and pelted it down at the Goblin who stared up hungrily. It hit him square in the face and there was a sputter of growls and hisses that made Mist only hug the tree branch closer.

Hiding in a tree had seemed a good idea at the time, but she had doubts now that the Goblin would ever tire of antagonizing her and she'd be stuck to live among the Chitters and the caterpillars and – well, to Mist, actually, that wasn't an entirely bad idea: "I could become a _butterfly… _and fly, fly away…" Her eyes misted over and fantasies of exploits as a butterfly began before being interrupted by the call of an all-too familiar voice.

"I'm coming, Mist! I'm coming to save you!"

Zavier was running at the fore, with the trio of Raguna, Melody, and Leo at his back.

"Ach, lad, who d'yeh think yer kiddin'? I'm gonna end up doin' all the work!" came Leo's gruff voice.

"Guys!" Mist cried out, stopping them in their tracks. A few moments of looking around wildly for the seemingly disembodied voice, and Melody pointed to the tree by the fence and they understood.

"Good thinking, Mist!" Zavier called out, voice cracking slightly. "Stay up there while we teach this Goblin a thing or two!"

"Damn kids…" Leo muttered, brandishing a gladius from his belt. "Jus' stay back. Don't get in the way, lad."

The goblin was alarmed by the sudden appearance of more hairy-talking-flesh-bags – as they were colloquially known among the goblins, of course – but took no time in brandishing weapons of his own: a dagger in each hand, crudely made and rusted at the edges, but deadly-looking all the same.

"B-be careful! He's got pointy thingies that make pain!" Mist exclaimed helpfully.

"Lass, it'd behoove yeh to be quiet for jus' a moment."

"Y-Yes sir!"

Raguna's hands balled into fists, and he felt a familiar adrenaline pumping through his blood. "What should we do?"

Melody's posture couldn't have been more relaxed. She leaned back on the balls of her feet and crossed her arms, eyes focused on the sword smith in front of her. "Nothing."

"Nothing?!"

"Leave this one to Leo, Rags. Just trust me on this. You can play Mr. Hero another day."

Any indication that Leo was a man in his sixties was suddenly imperceptible as he held the finely-crafted sliver of silver before him. His legs muscles tensed for only a moment before he propelled himself forward with enough force to send a cloud of dust up from where he had been standing. He gripped the blade in both hands and rushed forward, holding it up defensively as rusted daggers came spinning through the air towards him. Two barely audible 'klinks' resonated as they each hit the flat of his blade and fell to the ground, momentum depleted.

"Wow…"

It happened in only a moment – one that no one, not even the Goblin staring death right in the face – saw coming. A slice, a thud, and the roll of a greenish head across the blood-splattered grass.

There was a pregnant pause, that rare silence that only came out of death and hung in the air like a fog. Zavier was the one to break it.

"YES! Wasn't that _amazing, _Mist?! You're saved!"

Mist's bare legs emerged from the foliage, then a moment later the rest of the blonde dropped from the branch. "I… am? I am!"

Zavier puffed out his chest proudly. "And it's all thanks to –"

"Leo." Raguna and Melody said in a simultaneous deadpan.

"…R-Right. But I was the one who went and got him!"

"Aye, lad, settle yerself. Yeh at least proved y'had the common sense t'go to the right person, an' that's gotta count for somethin'." Leo said wearily, steadying himself by placing a hand on Zavier's shoulder. The young boy winced at the touch.

"Thank you so much, Leo!" Mist beamed, walking toward him and raking the twigs and leaves out of her platinum hair with her fingers. As soon as she was near enough, Zavier took over the job, clearly relishing in being able to touch her soft locks of hair, but Mist didn't seem to mind the grooming.

"That's the second time this week, Mist…" Raguna said, voice uneasy.

"Monsters really aren't this bold, not usually." Mist remarked, "But… I dunno! Maybe I just smell good or something?"

Raguna's mouth opened slightly, Melody quirked an eyebrow, Leo shook his head slowly, and Zavier muttered something along the lines of "Y'know, you _do _smell _divine_…".

"Um, well, whatever it is, they've certainly got some kind of invested interest in this area."

"The farmland…" Leo turned on his feet and looked out at the large stretch of field in various states of disrepair. "It might be that. It's been abandoned fer so long, they might think it's up for grabs… Not a soul has worked on it fer an age, now, but the soil's still good. The earth itself is some o' the best you could ask for around here."

They all took a moment and cast their gazes out towards the field, littered with sticks and stones and weeds of all colours.

"I'll hafta go have a word with Godwin 'bout this."

"Wait. I think I have an idea. We can get this place up and running again." Skeptical looks were exchanged all around. "We can. _And_ I know _just _the person who can help out." Mist took a step forward, Zavier's fingers losing their reach over her hair, much to his dismay. In a moment, her arm was looped in Raguna's.

"Raguna, is there any chance you're looking for some work?"

**Author's Note: **Leave me some thoughts or criticism or reactions or whatever! I'm always interested in hearing from you guys! See you in Chapter 7!


	7. CH7 The Battle of the Turnip Field

/**Author's Note: **After wrapping up Season 2 of Harvest High!, I thought I'd come back and revisit Kardia for a bit! I'll probably try and update a few of my other works before heading back to HH! for Season 3. This fic is always fun to write, if only because the setting and characters provide so many fun (and different!) possibilities. As always, thank you for reading! I'm always open to comments and feedback, so don't hold back . **End Author's Note/**

* * *

- CHAPTER 7: The Battle of the Turnip Field -

Amidst many protests from his cherry-haired roommate, Raguna had decided to take the job on Mist's Farm.

Melody's complaints ranged from the logical - "You know _nothing _about farming, how are you going to _run _one by yourself?!" - to the ridiculous – "You're going to be eaten by… by Farm Sharks! Sharks that roam abandoned farms!". In the end, she could do nothing to persuade him.

"Listen, why _don't _you want me to get a job?" Raguna had tried to ask her diplomatically.

"I – I make enough for the two of us to live comfortably." She huffed, "I just don't feel right letting you do this in your… your state."

Raguna appreciated the sentiment, but tried to make her see reason: "I know money isn't a huge issue, but I _do _need something to do while I stay in Kardia. I can't just stay cooped up in here, spending my day taking _baths _–"

" - Hey, that doesn't sound so bad -"

"_And,_" he plowed on, "What better way to repay all of you for your kindness? If I can get that farm up and running again, the monsters'll stop mistaking it for wilderness and trying to claim it for their own. It might bring some revenue back to the village, and Lady Ann or Emmett will probably appreciate having a fresh supply of fruits and vegetables. You won't have to import them from the neighbouring towns anymore!"

"Those are _all _very valid points, Rags, but the _sharks –_"

"Melody." He said her name with just enough force to silence her, and let his gaze bore into her eyes. "_What _is the big deal about this? I'm sorry, I'm just not seeing the downside. If you could just…"

Melody sighed and let her head fall, burgundy hat drooping over her features. "It's the villagers."

When she refused to continue, preferring to lock eyes with the rusted nails in the floorboards, Raguna gently placed a hand on her shoulder. She looked up. "… I know what they were thinking. They prob'ly decided to throw you in here with me, thinking poor ol' Melody will finally have someone to take care of her."

"…Really?"

"Godwin and Leo were friends of my dad's. It's not the first time they've tried to convince me to either move out, or convince someone else to move in. _Leo _even offered to take me in, and he _hates _… well, most people. And company. And talking. That kinda stuff." Melody's brow furrowed. "They think I can't take care of myself."

"Melody… They're just worried, I'm sure."

"Well whatever it is, I… I don't need it!" she exclaimed, "I've been perfectly fine for the past seven years, but those crotchety old men just can't seem to realize that!"

Raguna considered her words. "…I guess I'll just tell Mist that I can't, then."

Melody flung back her head and let out a long, pained skyward groan. "Aww _man, _Rags! Why d'you have to go and make me feel all guilty like that?! I know I can't keep you cooped up in here, but I don't want to be dependent on you, and just…" She trailed off into irritable mutters, then came back with, "If you _promise –_" she jabbed a finger sharply at the bridge of his nose, right between his eyes, " – That you let _me _cover the expenses and you let _me _cover the maintenance of the building and _any other _living expenses. Promise?" The fire in her eyes suggested she was not to be trifled with.

"A-Alright, Mel. Fine – I promise."

"Great!" The fire was extinguished and replaced with the familiar twinkle much more befitting of the cheery girl. "But notice I didn't say anything against buying me the occasional gift."

Raguna chuckled uncertainly. "…Really?"

With a hearty wink, Melody replied, "Well, a girl's gotta be reminded she's special from time to time!"

# # #

A week had passed, and it was a considerably busy one. After a private meeting between Leo and Mayor Godwin – from which the others had been rather unceremoniously excluded – Raguna had been given the go-ahead to work on the farm. Leo had graciously offered a set of farm tools – they were old and banged up, but made up for what had been lost of Mist's tools after the fire. Her favourite hoe, of course, was just fine – but aside from _that, _they were severely lacking in any farming implements.

Leo provided him with an axe for chopping up the stumps littering the field, a sickle to obliterate the onslaught of weeds twisting up from the soil, and a hammer to smash the variously-sized boulders. Jean had a watering can for sale at his general store and tried to push it on them while waving the fee, until an impassioned Rosetta stormed out of the back room and insisted that they pay, reprimanding her father for his magnanimous gestures. Melody informed Raguna that this was a common occurrence.

Mist had – to the best of her ability – tried to help for that first week. Her unique brand of help was more miss than hit: She had managed the errand of buying seeds to sow – but had _accidentally _ended up with ten bags of Turnip seeds and nothing else. She then managed to helpfully roll a boulder off the property – only to reveal a colony of worms that sent her shrieking up the apple tree again. Then, in an attempt to help speed up the stump-uprooting, decided to give her Fireball spell another go; this went as well as anyone might expect. Russell and Tori arrived in no time, barely looking up from the books they were reading while jets of water were pumped out of their hands effortlessly.

Mist was thereby given an 'extended leave of rest' from the farm work.

Kardia's denizens popped by regularly during the week to watch the process. Anyone who was reluctant about Raguna's admission to the village had now been whole-heartedly convinced that the boy was a blessing in disguise. Emmett offered beverages whenever possible, and Lady Ann was similarly generous with snacks and food to help keep up their stamina. Neumann had tottered over one day and taught Raguna how to properly sow grass seeds – as well as leaving him a bag of seeds to use himself. The elderly man had made a remark about the farm being large enough to build a barn for livestock, and mentioned that he'd send his son over for estimations.

Doctor Edward was a great help in identifying the plethora of plants that had taken rule over the field. For whatever reason, among the common weeds that poked through the earth, the farm's field seemed to be a veritable breeding ground for potent medicinal herbs that came in a cornucopia of colours. Melody had been keenly interested in these as well, and demanded that Raguna bring back a selection of them after every night of work. The young bathhouse owner had, of course, offered what was, in her opinion, the most crucial service: a hot bath ready for Raguna the minute he returned home. And the weary rancher was always grateful.

The week passed in this hectic fashion, and Raguna couldn't have felt better. Having something to keep his mind and body occupied for most of the day had been just what he needed: there was hardly anytime during the day to think, which meant less frustration for the amnesiac, who had grown sick of the mental pitfalls he ran into every time he made an attempt to venture into his memories. The time he spent on the farm was rewarding, and most importantly, fun.

It was on the Monday of Raguna's second week that trouble resurfaced.

Melody walked her housemate to the outskirts of the village on the rare occasion that she was awake in time for his usual departure. This was one such day. Spring, this year, had been kind enough to do away with any signs of Winter's presence, instead providing Kardia with endless rays of sunlight and a crisp blue sky. The paradisiacal weather and the few extra hours of Raguna's company were a compelling enough combination to lift the girl out of bed.

They reached the end of the town's main street and began to plod out onto the dirt paths, chattering gaily.

"We've nearly finished half the field, and our first batch of crops should be ready any day now!" Raguna told her excitedly.

" 'We'?" Melody grinned sardonically, "It sounds like you've been doin' it all on your own."

"Mist… _helps. _She does! She… she tries. That's what counts, right?"

"Whatever you say, Rags, whatever you say."

"Besides, everyone else has done a lot, too. Ceci even came by to help pick the apples off that tree, and Tori came over to help water the crops with some magic. Everyone's been so wonderful."

Melody smiled, gazing out towards the approaching field. It still didn't look like much, she had to admit, but it was a marked improvement from the jungle it had been. And Raguna's enthusiasm was, if nothing else, infectious.

"You've done more for that farm in the past week than most have done in years. It's no surprise the villagers are warming up to you so quickly."

"Yeah! And the best part is, since I got to work, there hasn't been a single –"

"Monster attack."

"- Yeah! How'd you –"

"No, like… look! Monster attack. _Monster attack!_"

Flapping the oversized sleeves of her maroon robe, Melody yelped in panic as Raguna focused his vision, and saw what she saw. It wasn't quite the same as the last times, however: while they were still a few leagues away, he could make out the leaves of one of the many fields of turnips Mist had planted – they were leafy and ready to be harvested, and bizarrely enough… seemed to be emitting small balls of light roughly the size of an apple. The lights were dancing erratically overhead, while a gaggle of three goblins stood beneath them, jumping at them and snarling viciously, trampling the tops of any turnips in their way.

"What… is going on?" Raguna asked to no one in particular. He watched the eclectic dance of monsters and sparks of light for a few seconds longer before Melody's frightened tones broke his reverie.

"What are we going to do?!"

"I – I think I can fend them off. I have Mist's hoe, it should do, right?"

Melody blanched. "You're going to fight them off with a _hoe?"_

"…It worked the first time, didn't it?" He gave her half a sheepish grin, not entirely convinced by his plan either. "Look, we don't have time. They're going to destroy all the work we've put into this farm if I don't do something. Go get Leo, and if I can't get rid of them, I can maybe hold them off until he gets here."

"Rags, that is _stupid_ reckless," His pink-haired companion put her hands on hips stoutly, "You're going to get yourself killed! You're… you're rushing in there with a farming tool! This is like, on Mist's level of insanity!"

"I'm not denying that," he pulled the hoe out of the loop in his belt and brandished it, "But I've got some turnips to save."

With a war-cry that was probably unnecessary, Raguna dashed down the rest of the slope leading to his beloved farm, hoe in the air. Melody felt faint, but tore her eyes away from the scene and tried to block out the sounds of battle by tugging her pointed hat closely around her ears. She made a sprint for the village, but not without feeling a pang of guilt that she had no problem recognizing: if she could only use magic, she wouldn't be running for help, a feeling of overwhelming uselessness festering in the pit of her stomach.

# # #

The light coming from the floating orbs reflected off the metal of Raguna's tools and the goblins' jagged daggers. He swung the heavy hoe wildly, forgetting such techniques as aim and precision and simply being satisfied if it came in contact with something vaguely goblin-y. They had strength in numbers, and Raguna's delusions of heroism were dwindling: he was no Leo.

The fabric of his tunic was caught more than once on the goblins' blades, and the time it took him to merely lift the hoe – much less swing it – left him open to their flurry of attacks. Above the onslaught, the lights danced merrily, fretting about like fireflies.

The goblins shouted commands to each other in their own language, a mess of harsh sounding syllables interjected with snarls and hisses. Nothing they said sounded very hospitable to Raguna. And he was right, of course, for a second later, two of the three goblins were running at him, daggers stretched out in front of them like a pair of jousting javelins. Had he not twisted his body sideways at the last second, they would have protruded right through his stomach. He got off with a pair of large, bloody cuts on either side of his midriff instead. His eyes swam with tears and his clothing clung to his skin, glued to him by the means of blood and sweat.

There was a _chance _thatMelody had been right, Raguna now realized.

Painstaking though it was to move his limbs, he raised his arms above his head again, hoe in hand, hoping for a lucky strike – the metallic end would be enough to at least knock one of them out, if he could zero in on their skulls – but this was easier said than done, when the leathery creatures still had enough energy to zip around him at a moment's notice.

It was too much of a strain to swing the hoe; there was a reason not a single army in history had been armed with them. Not any army that lived to tell the tale, at least. It would be Raguna's downfall.

Unseen by the hapless farmer, with his hoe lifted high into the air above him, one of the balls of light began whirling around it excitedly. It spiraled down the long wooden handle, before halting at the flesh holding it. After a few more hesitant glowing pulses, it dissolved into Raguna's hands, leaving behind a shower of sparkles as it did.

Raguna had only a moment to be perplexed by the specks of light falling around him before the phenomenon was eclipsed by something even more perplexing: starting with the tips of his fingers, his body was flooding with renewed energy and vigor. He had never felt anything like it.

The rush of pure energy crackled through his limbs, with the tingling sensation of an electric shock but the gentleness of a splash of morning dew.

The brunette would have taken longer to examine this sensation, but his newly replenished energy drove him to action. With a vicious swing, he whirled the hoe around him almost effortlessly, as if it were weightless. The whirl of silver knocked back the goblins, and Raguna was certain at least one of them had been finished off. The tides were turning.

The sound of quickening footsteps was suddenly very audible with the goblins' subdued. Raguna jerked around in time to see a dark figure rush towards him, place a foot on a stray boulder, and launch straight into the air – only to come down on one of the living goblins, a slender blade cutting straight through its heart.

"Wha –" Raguna's heart was pumping harder than he had previously thought possible. The figure looked up, and what Raguna had taken to be a mane of grizzly black fur turned out to be a ponytail. The girl whipped her head around, and without a moment's hesitation, pounced on the final goblin and slit its throat just as cleanly, two long lavender ribbons trailing behind her.

"Who –"

The ebony-haired stranger stood up, sheathed her bloodied blade and gave Raguna a scrutinizing look over her shoulder, her eyes as deep and dark as the bottom of a well. The battle-worn Raguna breathed heavy, ragged breaths, while the poised stranger hardly seemed to be breathing at all.

"Th-Thank you," he managed.

She opened her mouth, but whether or not she was going to accept his thanks would never be known, as there was then a flurry of footsteps signaling the arrival of the others.

"Raguna!" cried Melody, bounding towards him and nearly tripping over her robe as she did so. Raguna craned his neck around to see her, Leo, and Mist all running from the town's direction.

"Look at you!" gasped Melody as she helped her housemate up, "Never! Ever! Do that! Again!" She stomped her foot with each emphasis. "You were almost… Goblin chow!"

The brunette chucked apologetically. "I… I don't think they _eat _humans, Mel…"

"Not the point, you ignoramus! Fighting off _monsters _with a _hoe, _for _turnips! _It's insane, and reckless, and –"

"_I _thought you were _wonderful!_" Mist interjected, hands clasped together, eyes shining with emotion, and – Raguna didn't know what to make of this – a deep blush streaked across her features. "You… you did all that, for _turnips! _Raguna, you're even _more _heroic than I thought you were!"

"Uh… Thanks?" Raguna rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"No!" Melody cried, wheeling around to face Mist, "Don't encourage him!"

Mist ignored this, and approached the battered farmer, arms outstretched. Raguna wasn't sure how to react, and Mist put her pale hands on his sides – he felt the sting of her touch over his wounds and flinched. She held them there a moment longer, until a soft light swirled around her fingertips, slowly blossoming outwards, licking at his wounds with a supernatural warmth. The sensation was not unlike whatever had happened when the dancing ball of light had revitalized him.

"Ach, lass," Leo limped forward and put a hand on Melody's shoulder, steadying her. Raguna hadn't noticed that until then, she had been shaking. "He did a fine job. When a man's pride an' joy is threatened, yeh gotta rise to the occasion, na' matter what y'gotta do." If Leo's perma-scowl could express pride, it probably would at this moment.

"Mmhm!" Mist nodded fervently, "Oh Raguna, you were amazing!"

"It wasn't _all me…_" Raguna said, slowly turning his head back to the silent girl. Now that he was on his feet, he couldn't help but notice that she was considerably shorter than anyone present – and much less imposing. Raguna would have easily pegged her as the youngest among them – but stature aside, her eyes, dark and still as black ice, seemed to contradict that notion.

Melody latched onto the point: "It's true. If it weren't for Mei, you'd be flambé'd in a goblin's den right about now."

"Again, I don't think they _eat—"_

"You," When Mei decided to speak, her voice cut through the air as precisely as her blade had. She made strident paces towards them, stepping over any crops without a single glance downward, and stopped in front of Raguna. Without a hint of prudence, she lifted up Raguna's top.

Raguna was caught off-guard. "Uh-!"

Melody took a step forward, "H-Hey!"

Her small, cold hands traced lines over his flesh, mimicking the contour of the wounds that had been there moments ago. After she had deemed that Mist had done an adequate job with the healing, her eyes snapped back up.

"Come with me. We're going to speak to Mayor Godwin."

It wasn't a question, and thus, Mei did not wait around for an answer. Stepping around them, she strode back to town, the lavender ribbons of her outfit, as always, trailing behind her.

The group, dumbfounded, remained rooted to their spots for a moment too long. Without looking back, Mei clarified loudly,

"_Now._"


	8. CH8 Welcome to the Party

**/Author's Note: **Thank you for all the kind words and feedback! Knowing that people enjoy reading the story is definitely the best incentive an author has to keep writing it. Enjoy Chapter 8! **End Author's Note/**

- CHAPTER 8: Welcome to the Party -

"Um…" Raguna uttered, "Why exactly are we at… the bar?"

A cursory glance around informed him that nearly all of Kardia was seated comfortably around tables or on barstools. Moments earlier, following a particular nasty goblin attack on Raguna's farm, they had followed Mei to Godwin's home. The two spoke in hushed, grave tones, engaging in exclusionary conversation. Raguna, Melody, and Mist waited rather awkwardly in the doorway, where Felicity offered them some tea and snacks which they politely declined. Then, rather unceremoniously, Mei wheeled around, exotic purple ribbons trailing behind her, and left the building. Then Godwin followed suit. Then Felicity flustered after them. It was hard for the trio not to feel _slightly _hurt that they had been so blatantly forgotten.

Regardless, they too left the mayor's abode and followed the others down the street to Emmett's bar. There, he, Melody, Mist, and Mei waited at a table, and Godwin and Emmett left to gather the villagers. It didn't take much time at all for the doors to fly open and the Kardians to stream in, buzzing with excitement and curiosity. That the mysterious Mei and the amnesiac Raguna were at the center of this town meeting made it very worth interrupting their days to attend.

"Well," Melody answered next to him, "It's the only building in town large and convenient enough to house the entire village whenever the mayor needs to throw a meeting. We kind of had something similar the night you came to town, actually. But of course, there's usually always some idiot who insists that _just _because we're in a bar –"

"Hey Em!" shouted Neumann as he entered, "Since we're all here, how 'bout servin' up a round, eh? Can't have a proper town meeting if our throats are too parched to talk, right?"

"This… is going to end badly, isn't it?" Raguna asked with a wry smile.

"No, it'll just end the way these things always end: with everyone too drunk to actually constructively contribute and Godwin making all the decisions in the end."

"Huh, that's actually rather smart," the boy mused, "Maybe that was his plan all along."

"How sneaky!" said Mist approvingly, excited at having come to the bottom of this conspiracy.

If Mei disapproved of any of the situation before her, she did not show it, choosing not to sit but to stand unflinchingly with her palms pressed down on the table. When Emmett came around, jovially offering a tankard of mead to whoever was old enough, she didn't even give him the satisfaction of looking longingly at the alcohol, like most of the village's teenagers did. Then again, how old _was_ Mei anyway? Raguna had quickly noted that she looked no older than any of the other girls around Melody and Mist's age, but her disposition was so stalwart that it was easy to think her much older.

The town settled in and made themselves comfortable; this took a fair amount of time. Pulling her hat over her ears to block out the din, Melody explained exasperatedly, "Anytime they get the entire village together, no matter what the reason, people always see it as an excuse to party." Raguna soon found that she was not exaggerating.

"Hey Emmett! Over here!" called Rosetta from a table over. She tried to wave down the bartender, despite her father's reproachful hushes. Emmett gave her a hearty laugh.

"That was just for New Years, little lady! I can't go around giving out alcohol to minors. Give it a few years, won't ya? I promise the wine'll taste just as good – probably better!"

The blonde slammed her fist down on the table in response, her father and everyone else seated around her flinching. "_Fine._"

Jasper, the wealthy self-proclaimed gastronomist, was somehow on his _second _course of food and was noisily slurping up spaghetti. Neumann and Sabrina were already downing their beer as quickly as possible, with an unwilling Camus between them, acting as referee to their impromptu drinking contest. Lukas had mounted a table and was reciting lewd poetry – complete with pelvic thrusts and other such gestures to compliment it. Lady Ann had taken Godwin aside against his will and started talking his ear off about an expansion for the Inn she had planned out and needed his approval for; Raguna overheard such snippets as, 'I was thinking at _least _three more floors. Maybe four, if we cut corners. Literally! Who needs corners in a room anyway?!' and 'Have you heard about those new 'hot-tubs' they're developing in the Empire? They're like mini-hot-springs for your _room! _Yeah, we'll need about fifty of those.' To say that Godwin's patience was reaching its limit was an understatement.

"Enough!" Godwin's voice rung out over the crowd, cutting off the ambitious innkeeper mid-sentence. "I've gathered you all here for a _reason, _and that reason was _not _to watch you drink yourselves silly."

"Of _course _it's not…" Mist whispered conspiratorially under her breath.

"Earlier today," the mayor continued, "Something happened that has given me reason to believe that… Kardia - and by extension, the whole lot of us - have become the target of some sinister plot."

This dramatic proclamation successfully silenced the crowd.

Godwin brushed a strand of golden hair behind his ears, satisfied. When the man took a stand, it was made noticeable just how impressive a leader he was. He had an air of majesty more befitting a king than a small town mayor, and the blonde hair framing his face made him seem almost lion-like.

"If I understand correctly the events of the past few days, I've deduced that it can be no coincidence that the farm on Kardia's outskirts has been targeted by monsters numerous times. Counting the events of New Years' Day, there have been a total of three monster appearances; each time, the beast was aggressive and riled. These are _not _our run-of-the-mill fauna keeping check of their territory; these monsters were out to kill."

Chills trickled down the spine of every Kardian present. The Mayor spoke in such a way that he could have been reciting the lyrics to 'Happy Birthday' and he'd _still _instill everyone with fear.

"Furthermore, Mei has brought word that monster attacks on neighbouring highways have been on the rise. Caravans have been attacked, as well as merchants, patrolmen, and guards. The once secure Carmite cave has also grown more dangerous as of late, as Zavier can attest."

"Uh-huh!" Zavier nodded enthusiastically, proud to be of relevance.

"Gah!" Raguna started as he realized the boy had, at some point during Godwin's speech, pulled up a chair and squeezed himself in between him and Mist. "

"The usual goblins 'n things just keep to themselves, but there were newer ones! _Meaner _ones! Bigger! Scarier!"

Godwin nodded, eyes clouded with concern and trepidation. "Kardia and its surrounding vicinity seems to be alone in its misfortune; at least for now. That monsters are no longer satisfied with occupying their foul dens and are, instead, venturing out to actively attack humans…" He paused, eyes shut, lips pursed. "Whatever this could mean, I assure you, it is not good."

Silence followed. As radiant as the spring sunlight was, pouring in through the windows, Raguna felt the need to wrap his arms around himself and shield himself from the cold.

"Well, uh… sir? What do we… What exactly do we _do _about this?" asked Emmett, clutching an empty tray with both hands. "I mean… What's our next move?"

The broken silence was filled with murmurs of various tones: worry, disbelief, even excitement.

"We should take this to the Empire… Shouldn't we?" Russell offered uncertainly. "I'll have to check my history books – see if anything like this has happened in the past."

"Who needs 'em?!" piped up Sabrina angrily, the glaze of inebriation present on her features. "I'll gut 'em like the catch-of-the-day, and that's all there is to it." She brandished an imaginary fishing spear.

"That's the spirit!" guffawed Neumann, "If any dang ol' monster comes marching up to me, I'll just give it a whallop it won't forget!"

The town was getting riled again.

"Listen," Godwin said, his rich baritone once again commanding attention, "We can't live like that. Our children are in danger, as well as our less able citizens," he spared barely a sideways glance at his sickly daughter, "We need to nip this problem in the bud. I'd prefer a thorough investigation before we take anything to the Empire."

Mei, reacting for the first time since they had entered the bar, gave a barely-perceptible but curt nod.

"Mei suggested this, and I agree that it is the most logical move to make: I want to organize a specialized task force to investigate Carmite Cave and report any and all findings of unusual activity." His blue eyes swept the tavern, gauging reactions.

The murmuring intensified, and he added, "Do _not _volunteer unless you are absolutely sure you can handle this. It _will _be dangerous, and should you feel that you would slow the team down – or escape mid-battle – " his eyes lingered on Zavier, but he lifted them off him as quickly as he could, " – Then do not be tempted to join. Those who do wish to volunteer, speak now. You will be accompanying Mei through the caves, immediately. Today."

Heads were turning in every direction, everyone eager to see who would bravely join the stoic foreigner to the depths of the cavern. Raguna recalled what Melody had said about the place: Carmite cave had been a well-known enough locale to many of the villagers. It was fairly hospitable, as far as monster dens went: so long as no one ventured too deep inside, the land within was fertile and the climate was temperate enough to grow a plethora of spring crops. The subterranean rivers housed a surprising amount of fish, and the walls of the cavern had many useful ores embedded in them. Like many of the caves in the region, Melody had said, there was a wide range of resources to be harvested: this was why caves were so rigorously moderated by the officiaries of the regions. No one could enter unless granted a permit by the region's governor. Godwin was clearly making a special exception here – something he had the power to do, as it was he who distributed permits for the Kardia region.

"How hard can it be? I'll do it," said a voicee, from the back of the tavern. The broad-shouldered, well-defined monster rancher Camus stood up, stretching and cracking the bones in his shoulder. "Hell, I deal with those uglies all the time."

"Settle down, bucko!" said Neumann from his seat, "These aren't Cluckers or Buffamoos, we're talking about. These are real, honest-to-goodness, bona fide monsters!"

"Absolutely not." Doctor Edward sat shaking his head with his hands in his lap. "You're a fantastic monster trainer, son, but don't get ahead of yourself."

Camus' fists clenched and he scowled at his father. "Don't – I wouldn't be - Who else in this village has experience with monsters?!"

"Well, Raguna kinda does," chimed in Rosetta, inconspicuously taking gulps from her father's tankard. "Remember? _He's _the one who kinda fought off the beasties whenever they showed up."

All eyes were now on the unkempt farmer. Rosetta continued drinking away, taking advantage of the distraction.

"Rosetta brings up a good point…" Tori said softly.

Russell agreed, adding, with his hand on his chin, "He certainly has the… potential."

Melody's heart rate instantly accelerated. Had the poor boy not been put into enough danger as it was?

"I – I don't know about _that…_" Raguna jabbered in his usual way, "The first time I was acting on pure adrenaline," he put up a second finger, "The second time was really all Leo's doing," he put up a third, "And I would be… well, goblin food if not for Mei, just now."

"Goblins don't _eat_ humans_, _silly!" Rosetta hiccupped from across the tavern.

"Right. Well, the point still stands…"

Lady Ann disagreed with them crossly: "Oh, come off it, guys. It's not Raguna's damn problem if our town becomes a monster free-for-all or not. The kid's been here _three_ days, and he's already done more for us than a whole damn lot of other people sitting here!" For the second time that night, pairs of eyes lingered on Zavier for just long enough to avoid being conspicuous. "I'm just sayin', Raguna should only go if he really wants to. He's hardly a Kardian – don't give him a duty that rightfully belongs to _us._"

The farmer in question felt equal parts gratitude and hurt at being excluded from 'the Kardians'. "I – It's not that I don't _want _to. I'll come along, if Mei will have me! My farm is at stake, and – and they nearly got my turnips! I need to get… um… revenge!" He mustered up whatever conviction he could come up with.

"Yes! Now that's more like it! _Finally _someone brings up the important stuff! Those poor turnips!" Mist shot to her feet, fist in air, a look of utter seriousness on her face. There was a collective decision to pointedly ignore her.

"What I'm saying is – even if it's not forever, Kardia is my home, too. I'll gladly go with Mei to Carmite Cave." He gave the silent warrior a trepid look, and she responded with her favourite gesture: a curt nod, all business.

"That settles it, then. You're a real piece of work, kiddo." Lady Ann seemed satisfied, as did the other villages. Everyone was smiling, and Melody couldn't help herself: she gave him a grin, masking the worry as best as she could. Camus' face soured as he slumped back in his seat, glaring daggers at both his father and Raguna.

"Very well," said Godwin, "I'd suggest taking a third with you, but no more. The passages winding through the cave are narrow and unaccommodating to large groups."

"Take someone that knows magic," Melody said instantly. "Neither of you are really that great at it. You'll have all your bases covered in that case." The robed girl adjusted her witch's hat subconsciously. She ignored the way her insides felt like they were being held in a pinch; there was no way she could accompany them, and she knew it. However, suppressing disappointment was something Melody was all too accustomed to.

"Melody makes a fine point, y'know," growled Leo, seated at the bar, face half-hidden behind a tankard, "Yeh'd be foolish wandering around there without some firepower – or at least someone t'mend your wounds, should yeh need it." The blacksmith polished off the remains of his ale and smacked his lips.

Godwin gave him a respectful nod, "Yes. Which of you is adept at magic and would like to round out this team?"

As the villagers discussed this, Raguna's thoughts were on the tome of magic under his bed at the bathhouse. He wished he had had more time to practice with it – it wasn't destructive or curative, but teleportation magic would no doubt be helpful in getting them out of a pinch. Between caring for the farm and his promise to Russell not to let Melody find out about it, there had been little opportunity.

"I – I don't think I'd be appropriate," Tori said, apparently answering someone's suggestion that she join the force, "I've used magic for house-hold purposes before, but never b-before an actual monster!"

Lady Ann, equally hard on both her children, agreed. "Plus she's a total klutz. You guys'd be safer without her, if we're being honest here." Of course, there was never a time when Lady Ann was _not _being her honest self.

Tori could not deny this, but still stared at the floor in embarrassment.

"The next obvious pick is Russell, then," Doctor Edward suggested, with a sage nod. "I don't think anyone in the village can out-cast him."

Russell simply pushed his glasses further up his nose, choosing not to accept or deny the compliment. "I'd be willing, if you'll have me. However, healing magic has never been my forte. I've never been able to mend more than scrapes and cuts; battle wounds are, I'm ashamed to admit, beyond me."

Godwin turned to Leo, as if for advice, but he only stared back at him through his one visible eye. Although it didn't look like it, the gaze was a significant one.

"I'm sorry, Russell, but a healer is absolutely essential when exploring the caves. Best not to take chances, you understand." He told him. Russell nodded his understanding, ego unbruised. Camus still seemed to be fuming.

"I suppose that doesn't leave us with many options though, does it…" Felicity observed, raising her head to look out at the remaining villagers.

"Well, there's still me!" Mist's voice rang through the room."I'm the one who healed Rags right before we came here, even! Right, Mei?"

Mei's lips thinned and she said nothing, giving the blonde a scrutinizing look. Mist's reputation was far too… notorious to actually consider her for such an important mission - but their options were certainly dwindling, and competent healers could not simply be made overnight. Mist, scary though it was to admit, might actually be their best bet.

Eyebrows furrowed, Godwin spoke again in an obviously strained tone of voice: "Very… well. Mist, you are… capable. I suppose if no one else –" he gave the rest of the villagers a long, hard, look, " – is willing… Then you shall join – "

Call it divine intervention if you will, but the doors of the tavern swinging open at that exact moment could not have been better timed. Bathed in mid-day glow, the lithe form of a female appeared.

"It's an _aaaangel!_" slurred a drunken Rosetta, flapping her arms like overgrown wings, "An aaangel here to saaave us aaaall!"

The villagers' eyes adjusted to the sudden outpouring of light and there stood a girl with long grapefruit-pink hair, slightly covered in a white nurse's habit. Her hands were clasped together as she took dainty steps into the tavern, as if in perpetual prayer. This likely wasn't far off the mark, as she seemed to be muttering barely perceptible litanies. Raguna had no idea who she was, but just faintly heard the request to "keep me safe in this place of licentiousness and indulgence" and to quicken "my stay in this, the home of gluttony and depravity".

"Who –"

"Lara. Sorry – _Sister _Lara." Melody corrected herself in a hushed tone.

"Oh, we're in for it now…" said Zavier, his tone a curious mixture of fear and exasperation. "She's the priest's daughter, _and _a nurse who works for Dr. Edward. She's _deathly _against anyone doing _anything _she considers 'dangerous'. She once chewed my ear off for eating candy off the ground. It's candy, for goodness' sake! You don't just _ignore _that stuff!'

Lara entered looking perhaps the most out-of-place one could look in Emmett's tavern. Her thick blouse and long skirt kept even an inch of skin from showing, and her rose-coloured hair was neatly parted in two long bangs on each side of her face. She seemed to have a constant smile on her face, one that seemed to radiate gentleness.

"My apologies, Mr. Godwin," she said, her voice as softspoken and sweet as one could imagine, "I do hate to make a late appearance, but I had lost track of the time while my father was sermonizing. He also wishes to apologize for being unable to be here."

"It is of no matter, Lara," Godwin said kindly, "I understand your father has little desire to congregate at a tavern."

"Oh goodness, no! Think nothing of the sort!" Lara said, taking delicate steps further into the establishment. "Father has no qualms with this – business! And nor do I, of course." The way she sniffed the air, as if walking among the diseased, suggested otherwise. "Ingesting spirits is a… _pleasant _way to pass the time." Her breath caught in her throat and she started over.

"Now, what's this about you… er, mobilizing a group to plumb the depths of Carmite Cave?

Godwin quickly summarized the predicament, then gestured to Raguna and Mei, "These are our volunteers, thus far." No one corrected him when he left out Mist. Mist, in fact, had lost interest in the meeting and was entertaining herself with the candle at the center of their table, amused at how, well, shiny it was. This reverie was best left unbroken, for the time being.

Smile still in place, Lara frowned and tilted her head to the side, as if she hadn't quite understood Godwin. "But… Mr. Godwin, sir… this is quite the dangerous endeavor, no? You do realize that?"

There was a collective sigh, though barely audible, as if the entire town had been waiting for this.

"It is, indeed. This is why Mei, a seasoned warrior, will be leading the expedition. Raguna, too, has proven himself an asset in battle. We're taking every precaution we can."

Lara's amber eyes flicked over to Raguna, and then back to Godwin. "Goodness…" she whispered, still smiling, "I have to express my… distaste with this plan."

_ "No, you don't."_ Lady Ann hissed under her breath, which the nurse chose to ignore.

"Sir, it's just that, those caves are no place for civilians. The fact that they haven't been sealed up as of yet is outrageous in itself, but to send these plebeians –"

"They've been open to licensed adventurers for generations now," Mei said coldly. The lurid sprightliness of Lara's disposition made Mei's skin crawl. Raguna sensed that being called a 'plebeian' probably hadn't helped either. "And furthermore, this is what we call an emergency. Kardia is in peril, and if we don't do something – and _quickly – _you can be sure that these very streets will soon become as dangerous as those blighted caves."

Lara pursed her lips and closed her eyes to the tavern, bolstering her courage with what seemed to be a lighting-round of prayers.

"If what you say is true, Miss Mei, then this is most dire, indeed." She spoke after a long silence, and opened her eyes again. "However, as Kardia's nurse and a servant of God, I cannot allow for the two of you to journey there yourselves. Certainly, a _seasoned warrior _such as yourself wouldn't consider such a weary expedition without a healer?"

"Well, actually, we were about to elect –" Zavier began, but Lara overrode him.

"I suppose I'll just have to accompany you myself, then, won't I? It is my job – no, my vocation – to do the work of God; Who better than one of His blessed acolytes to ensure that this little venture goes without incident?

She turned to Raguna and offered him a smile brimming with confidence. He returned hers with an uneasy smile of his own.

Why did he suddenly feel like they were better off with Mist?


End file.
